The Justice of the Druid
by 4Eirlys
Summary: When Umbridge teaches Hufflepuff a lesson on blood purity, it triggers a series of events. Merlin is a badger, and he will defend the students of the school. However as the Warlock grows weaker, Umbridge grows stronger and students pay the price. But 'puffs are not called loyal for nothing. Even if all of his secrets come out. Even if he is tortured over it. Even, if it kills him.
1. Most Noble, Most Ancient, Most Original

**So this is a new story, which has no connections at all to my other crossover "Merlin's Guide as to Why You Shouldn't be Voldemort" and is completely canon up until fifth year. This is not particularly AU either: although Merlin is at Hogwarts in the same year as Harry, events in previous years have not changed. In this story, (which is set in Harry's fifth year) certain events from Order of the Phoenix have changed round, but the basics remain the same.**

 **This story is only in four parts, and with the amount of work I have going on at the moment, this should have weekly updates, with the possibility of updates being shorter if I finish chapters sooner, especially as I have this already planned out in detail, including sketches of dialogue in important scenes.**

* * *

The Justice of the Druid

Chapter One – The Most Noble, the Most Ancient and the Original House of Ddraig

For once, even the good natured ambience of the Hufflepuff table couldn't lift Merlin's spirits as he slid onto the end of the bench. As he reached out to snatch two croissants from Ernie MacMillan's hoard, he scowled when the boy ruffled his hair in retaliation and the chuckles it elected from Hannah Abbott and Megan Jones at his already awful bed head worsening.

"What's the matter Meryn?" Hannah asked as she absentmindedly pinched a piece of toast from the plate next to hers that was piled high with various topped toast and began to munch on it.

"Umbridge," Merlin scowled darkly, taking out his anger on a defenceless fried egg that Megan served him, watching in satisfaction as the yolk popped.

"What's that toad done now?" Justin Finch- Fletchley huffed as he plonked his bag down beside Merlin before clambering onto the bench between Merlin and Ernie. "And most importantly: where's all the croissants gone?"

"Ernie's got them," Hannah smiled in amusement as she watched her friend's eyes light up when Ernie revealed the pastries. "Honestly Justin I would have thought you would have got the hang of it now after four years of us saving them for you."

"Yeah," Megan chimed in, "considering Hannah's doing the same for Susan now seeing as she sleeps like the dead."

Back in first year, Justin had became so homesick that at several points, he had become so anxious and nervous that he often threw up what little food he had in his stomach – if he had eaten at all, for the young aristocrat had had a habit of not turning up for meals because he felt like he didn't fit in and was also worrying about not being able to carry out his duties. It was only after Megan had found out what he used to have for breakfast every day and asked the House Elves to include pastries with the breakfast that Justin realised that he everybody cared about him, and he soon settled in (although the addition of pastries had become a popular request and they went quickly, thus why Ernie hoarded them). It helped that Susan and Ernie were from the Old Magical families, so they understood how important routine was to him and the pressures of being the heir to a noble and established family.

Merlin too had struggled to fit in: not least because he was an over thirteen hundred year old warlock locked in an adolescent body (although admittedly it had been by choice, not like in 1823 when he had been healing an elderly woman who had extremely bad arthritis and had been casting a spell to give her 'youthful bones' but had sneezed and it had ended up turning him into a nine year old) but because his first choice in magic was still the Old Religion so he found easy spells extraordinarily difficult, he often forget to answer to his given name Meryn and he wasn't used to being around children 24/7.

So despite all of his quirks, like not having and talking about a family and the life he had before going to Hogwarts, struggling with concepts both magical and muggle (he had spent so long in both worlds that he often missed major developments in the other), being so clumsy he was a danger to everybody else and had such a strong moral compass he received the most detentions in the house, Hufflepuff still supported him, and _loved_ him.

And he loved them in return.

Hence why he was angry.

"Guess what Umbridge has deemed such an _important_ issue to occupy our double lesson in DADA today?"

Megan tapped on her empty plate thoughtfully, her nose scrunching up as she considered the question.

"Well, last lesson had been on how to cast _expelliarmus_ without using your wands, as if we didn't know." She rolled her eyes. "I mean, even _you_ can do that spell Meryn and you are definitely the one that struggles the most in our year that actually _tries._ So I'm guessing... for an equally _almost_ useless spell... _aguamenti?"_

"No," Merlin replied grimly. "After Gabriel Truman argued with her on the magical strength of muggleborns when he found out she had given a detention to a cub for casting a strong _expelliarmus_ at a third year Ravenclaw in order to stop a duel and referencing it in his homework, she's decided that we need re-educating. Because a muggleborn cub "shouldn't be able to do that". So apparently, today we're going to be studying _blood purity_."

Hannah Abbott stared at him with an open mouth, her long blonde hair which she had been plaiting half finished whilst Megan rolled her eyes and Ernie swore loudly.

"Seriously?" He boomed, banging his hand on the table, "we're being taught about that _rubbish?_ The magical strength of a person has got _nothing_ to do with how pure your blood is! _"_

" _We_ know that thankfully," Hannah interjected as she laid a soothing hand on Ernie's angrily vibrating figure. "She's going too far now."

Justin, Merlin noticed, had remained conspicuously silent. Catching Megan's eyes, Merlin indicated subtly to the boy sitting next to him, and she widened her eyes in understanding.

"Hannah," She announced loudly, "Call a House Meeting. Now."

"Yes," She said decisively, catching onto her friend's idea. She stood up and tried to get the older prefects attention, but Breakfast was a social meal occasion and nobody paid attention to her, though it wasn't on purpose. Ernie quickly stood up when he realised that it wasn't working and nodded to Hannah and to Megan, who cast a _silencio_ around the table, Merlin helpfully extending it with the help of the Old Religion (keeping his eyes shut the whole time, of course).

"Badgers," Ernie boomed, immediately catching everybody's attention. "A situation has arisen. House meeting to be held at the Den in five minutes for _everybody._ This is important."

"Don't worry Justin," Merlin said, nudging the quiet boy with his shoulder, "We'll stick up for you."

"Yes," Hannah confirmed grimly, "The whole House will."

* * *

It was a good thing that 'Puffs on the whole were early risers, because even though they purposely tried to keep the meeting short, that had gone out of the window as soon as they found out what Umbridge was planning. However once it had been brought back under control with the help of the older students, it was unanimously decided that the muggleborns would be protected by their classmates. Still, they were late to their first lessons and twenty points in total were taken off the House for their tardiness, though nobody minded as it had been for a good cause.

The day had flown by, and all too soon Hufflepuff fifth years were lining up reluctantly outside Professor Umbridge's classroom for their last two lessons that day, hovering by the doors for as long as they could before entering the pink hell. Instinctively, the badgers moved into formation around Justin, Sally-Anne Perks, Kevin Entwhistle, with Merlin, Wayne Hopkins and Roger Malone shuffling next to them and Naomi Runcorn, Ernie, Hannah and Susan forming their outer line of defence. Zacharias Smith had caught the flu and was residing back in the dens, so they didn't have to deal with his slightly outdated values on blood.

"Good afternoon class," Umbridge started off pleasantly, standing in front of her desk.

Everybody obediently parroted the phrase back, and Merlin was impressed by how the children who loathed her so much could interject such enthusiasm in their voices that it was as if they had just been told Christmas had come early.

"Recently, I have noticed how your motivation for learning spell theory has waned. Thus, today we are going to go into the reasoning behind learning the theory so that you canal truly understand the importance of learning spell theory. Our topic today is very serious: That of the inheritance of magic and how it can affect your spells. Typically, those who have a stronger inheritance produce more devastating spells, and the ministry would best like to protect you from accidently magically exhausting yourself."

She giggled girlishly, and pointed her wand towards the board, where the words _fully inherited_ appeared in swirled handwriting.

"Fully inherited magic can be split into numerous categories, with the most intense magic produced by an individual who has inherited magic from hereditary parents. The most established families have special tomes in order to help offspring control their magic and which often contain magic specialised to that family and hold spells unknown to outsiders. Those who are notably in this category are the Malfoys, Bones', Patils and Runcorns, amongst others. There are those which are debated, such as the Weasleys, the Jones and the Abbotts."

Umbridge's lip curled upwards into a sneer almost unnoticeably as she looked at Hannah an then at Megan, both who stared stubbornly back, proud of their status as a half-blood and pureblood respectively (although the Jones family was well known for having no problems with blood purity, hence why they were a 'debated' family).

Although he hated himself for it, Merlin was impressed with the witch for how she had somehow managed to prepare and memorise an entire double lesson on blood purity without ever actually saying the phrase, merely insinuating it.

"I of course, am also in this category, as I am a member of the prestigious Selwyn family, who are also in the minority to have several family tomes and spells."

"Do you think they specialise in looking like amphibians?" Roger Malone whispered from his position next to Merlin in the half blood circle, barely moving his mouth.

The Warlock fought hard to stop the grin from showing on his face.

"I hope you are taking notes on this," Umbridge said suddenly, staring hard at Roger and Wayne Hopkins, who seemed to have had developed a serious cough within the last few seconds.

There was a flurry of activity as everybody removed pages of parchment and quills from their bags. Whilst this was occurring, an arrow was drawn from _fully inherited_ and more writing appeared on the board, with the words _partially inherited_ slightly lower and to the right.

Again, Umbridge went through how somebody could have 'partially hereditary magic', barely able to hide her distaste as she used examples of families, causing Wayne Hopkins to squirm under her prejudiced gaze, and Roger Malone to stare defiantly back when their names were mentioned. The Abbott family, again were picked upon, and poor Hannah's began to unravel from her neat plaits with her tense movements she was inflicting upon it.

Finally, the moment that Merlin had been dreading, was when Umbridge drew a final arrow from _partially inherited_ that went unnecessarily far down the board before she finally stopped and wrote the words _uninherited_ so precisely it was a wonder that her wand hadn't blown up from the amount of revulsion that was directed through it.

It was if the room had reached sub zero when the words were finished, and almost subconsciously, classmates huddled together. The Hufflepuff purebloods that were on the outside of the ring shifted the chairs slightly inward, silently offering their support for the onslaught that was sure to come. Sally, Justin and Kevin exchanged glances with determination, whilst Susan Bones subtly mimed if Merlin was okay.

"Finally, we have the uninherited." Umbridge seemed to be torn between sounding venomous and sounding regretful and compromising by talking past the malicious words that were lodged in her throat. "These people are sadly not fortunate enough to have the benefit of hereditary magic and are thus the weakest witches and wizards."

With his aristocratic upbringing, Justin managed to keep a politely interested expression on his face, but Merlin could see how he had suddenly gone so pale it was like he had been petrified again, and he had straightened up completely with a regal air about him – which he only did when he was feeling anxious and threatened. Next to him, Sally-Anne Perks and Kevin Entwhistle had clasped hands underneath the table and had leant slightly in towards each other, both desperately needing the reassurance of human touch, to remind them not everyone in the newly found wizarding world were this cruel to muggleborns like them.

Merlin himself felt anger boil up inside up as Umbridge's prejudices reminded him so much of those he had faced long ago, except that those with the strongest magic had been the most reviled.

"Uninheriteds have no family to help strengthen their magic."

Kevin and Sally's hands were alternating between red and white so much that they looked like a twisted candy cane as they clenched their significant other's limbs. Sally in particular looked close to tears from the low blow which reminded her of how her parents were no longer around and Susan had taken to alternating between stroking Sally's knee and drumming reassuringly on Justin's immobile hands.

"And as such, uninheriteds struggle with even the most basic of spells."

Merlin forced himself not to shudder when Umbridge's gaze settled upon him as she said those words, the disaster of when he had had to demonstrate the _accio_ charm coming to mind. It was only the knowledge that he had more power in his little finger than she had in her entire body which prevented him from feeling even slightly embarrassed at his dismal track record with new magic. The same could not be said of his fellow badgers, however.

Next to him, Hannah had her lips compressed so much that they were practically non-existent in an effort to prevent herself from shouting abuse at their professor, her blonde hair now resembling a haystack from anxiously knotting it. Ernie was practically shaking in fury, and Naomi had laid a hand on his knee to calm him, her icy demeanour standing out in stark comparison. It was Susan and Megan meanwhile, who worried Merlin the most. They had given up on trying to comfort Justin (who now looked as if he was going to faint and was taking dangerously shallow breaths) for now, and it was clear that the values which Hufflepuff and the Bones, particularly Susan's Aunt who worked in the ministry, were soon going to be voiced.

"Madame Umbridge –" Susan started out angrily.

"I regret to inform you," Merlin smoothly took over, shooting a warning glance at Susan who stared back defiantly and at Megan who was red faced from her anger, "that I am not, in fact, an uninherited. My father was –" _a Dragonlord, a Warlock, "-_ a wizard, whilst my mother was –" _a beautiful, kind woman who was beyond a Queen,_ "- a muggle.I'm a half blood."

The words of _so there's no need to be staring at me_ passed unspoken between them, but they seemed to fill the entire room.

"Are you now, Meryn," Umbridge stated sweetly, as if she was indulging in his fantasies. "Thrage is not a name I am familiar with."

"Finch-Fletchley isn't a name you're familiar with, and they're far older than the Selwyns and are related to the Queen," Roger Malone muttered darkly. "That's not really saying much."

"I am from an established family, Professor." Merlin shrugged too casually, "We are a... select family. We have taste, you see, and do not consort with people who we consider... _inadequate_."

Umbridge flushed an ugly red at this, and her toady eyes bulged in part embarrassment and anger at the veiled insult.

"There are no established hereditary families called Thrage," Umbridge snapped, mispronouncing Merlin's last name. He smirked at her inability to pronounce welsh. "I would advise you to not tell lies."

The threat hung in the air. Everybody in Hufflepuff knew about Umbridge's treatment of Harry Potter, and what exactly her detentions entailed. Luckily, it was only the upper years that had been on the receiving end of Umbridge's wrath, but each and every student had returned to the den with vicious cuts on their hands. Harry's was rumoured to be the worst though, although after Merlin had been talking about the properties of murtlap essence loudly with Neville when Hermione was walking past, his hands had quickly reduced in redness and swelling.

"Ddraig is not a wizarding family."

Merlin was committed now. He knew that any moment now, his true heritage would be revealed, but it was worth it. Already, his fellow badgers had recovered slightly, with the glazed look in Justin's eyes having disappeared and his breathing more even, Hannah's hair perfectly smooth once more and the chair that Ernie was sitting on was no longer threatening to break from the intense vibrating it had had to put up with. Indeed, the badgers were all eying him with interest: it was rare that Merlin talked about his family and they all accepted that, so to hear him say more willingly about it was a bonus.

"Then it is impossible for your father to be a pureblood then, is it not Meryn?" Umbridge retorted sarcastically.

"Ddraig is a druid family."

There was a startled silence. It was clear than even Wayne Hopkins, a stoic boy who rarely spoke outside the den but could do conspiracy theories with the likes of the current Ministry of Magic and compulsive liars had never even considered the possibility.

And then:

"I think a week's worth of detention, don't you Mr _Thraeg_?"

* * *

That night, Merlin slowly made his way to Umbridge's office, absentmindedly running his fingers up and down his right hand, memorising what his hand felt like unblemished before it would be cut upon again and again. The reaction from his house had not been expected: they had waited until they had reached the safety of the den where they could discuss the day's events in private, with Merlin nervously fidgeting the whole time.

He finally broke the tension by asking why they didn't seem surprised by the revelation of his heritage.

It was Zacharias Smith who replied (he had been told of events as soon as he entered the room).

"It makes sense. You've always been weird. Your druidness confirms that."

Crudely put, Ernie informed him pompously when Merlin's reaction was to become speechless, but a consensus they had reached wholeheartedly.

So although he was marching off to face torture for the next however many hours it would take, Merlin was in a good mood, which did not diminish even when he stepped inside an office so disgustingly pink it made him feel ill, and Umbridge's malicious smile which greeted him.

"Do you know why you are here, Mr Thragie?"

"It's _Ddraig,_ Professor and no, I do not."

Umbridge's wide amphibian smile lessened when Merlin corrected her on the pronunciation of his surname and her eyes narrowed at his impudence. He smirked, there was a _lot_ more where that came from. Maybe now he would finally unleash it all.

"You are here because you had the _audacity,"_ she hissed with venom, "to claim that you are from a pureblood family and from a druidic family at that. There have been no druids for _centuries_ Thragee, and I highly doubt that the Ministry records are out of date!"

"I do," The Warlock muttered, "Considering the ministry is full of morons and has been ages."

Umbridge drew herself up to gain as much height as her small stature could give he, yet Merlin was still taller than her sitting down. The chair creaked as her bulk pressed against the edge of the desk and she shoved it back to stand up in order to try and intimidate her some more.

"You will write _I must not withhold secrets_ and you will not stop until I tell you to _. Do you understand_ _me_ Meryn?"

Merlin noticed in satisfaction that she seemed to have given up on mispronouncing his name. At least _that_ will survive this session without being damaged anymore.

"Perfectly." He replied through clenched teeth, and sat down to start.

Umbridge continued to stand over him as he snatched the quill that was offered to him and when it was clear that she was determined to stand there until he had started, he put the nib to parchment and began to write. He smiled viciously at her when his writing began to appear on his hand, which turned into a triumphant smirk when he saw her disappointment at his apparent lack of reaction to the pain the torture devices were supposed to have been causing him, closely followed my confusion tinged with disgust.

Merlin turned back to the parchment, also confused by her reaction, to find the parchment almost turned to mush from the amount of blood rushing from the quill.

 _Oh._

The Warlock gritted his teeth, electing a smile from the toad standing above him as he concentrated on controlling his magic. His magic originated from the heart, like every creature originating from the Old Religion and as such it was carried through his body via his blood. His magic was rushing to his defence and trying to heal him, but by being based in his blood he was losing it through the quill, causing his heart to send out more. Slowly, he managed to rein it in, fighting against instinct every step of the way, until eventually what came out of the quill was the usual trickle of blood.

Meanwhile Umbridge was brandishing her wand, slowly siphoning the blood away, muttering under her breath for the entire time about how there were to be no traces. Idly, he wondered if she realised she was speaking out loud.

" _Parentis revealisio heridatas!"_

Now _that_ had been on purpose.

 _Reveal your parental heritage._

Before Merlin could even _think_ of swearing, Umbridge had already performed the spell, and green tendrils shot out from her wand into his blood that was now pooling on the table. Both watched the spell in tense anticipation and flinched in unison when the blood emitted a blinding green light.

Merlin swallowed bile, suddenly feeling sick. When the after image died away, forest green words hung in the air.

 _Balinor Ddraig-Dominus, Lord of the Most Noble, the Most Ancient and Original House of Dragons = Hunith Ealdor_

The Warlock let out a sigh of relief he hadn't even realised he had been holding at the result. Thank the Goddess that Umbridge had not had the cunning (and perhaps the ego) to decide to use the most basic heritage spell, which did not even show the person it as used on in question or the date of births of the people involved, otherwise he would have more pressing matters to consider than whether the rest of Hogwarts would find out about his true heritage.

Umbridge paled the sight.

"Do you believe me now, _Umbridge?"_ Merlin snarled, watching in satisfaction as she turned, trembling to face him.

She muttered something, but even with his enhanced hearing, the Warlock couldn't hear what she had said.

"Speak up when you are spoken to."

That seemed to shock her into action, and she tilted her head up to look directly into his eyes.

"I am your _Professor_ Meryn, your _better_ , and I will _not_ be spoken to in that matter!"

Merlin smiled cruelly.

"You claim to be of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Selwyn," He spoke quietly, causing her to have to quieten her breathing and strain to hear him. "Yet you do not bear their name, instead one of an _unknown_ family. And you dare, _you dare,_ to speak to a Lord of an Original House in that manner? Do you know of the power that I wield?"

Umbridge cowered before his challenging gaze.

"I-," she licked her lips, her toady eyes protruding in alarm, "I'm sorry."

"I can cancel your Gringotts account, force you into social exile, have you removed from all posts that your _worthless_ Ministry have given to you-"

"Don't. I'll do anything."

The Warlock regarded her almost cruelly, uncaring of the snivelling mess she has now become.

"You will _never_ teach about blood purity again. Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes, my lord."

"Good," Merlin decreed. He stood up, shoving his chair back. "This detention is over. And I am _never_ coming back for another one."

The Hufflepuff stopped when at the threshold of the office, and turned around, to see a gobsmacked Umbridge still standing there, staring after him with a mixture of emotions.

Horror. Fear. And a third emotion that Merlin couldn't identify.

But it didn't matter. He had stood up for his House and _he had won._

But what he didn't realise that the third, unknown emotion was the most dangerous of all.

For Umbridge stared after the newly revealed Lord of Dragons, an obviously powerful druid, with a cold, hard, calculating stare.

For this changed _everything_.

* * *

 **So there you are! That was the introduction to this new story, which will hopefully set the scene for the later three chapters.**

 **All of the characters that I have used here are real. The Hufflepuffs are either mentioned in the books, or are on a list of students in Harry's year that J. K. Rowling used to plot the series which was revealed in an interview she made (if you want to check, look it up on Pottermore).**

 **The following are the students complete with their blood information.**

 **Ernie MacMillan (Pureblood) Susan Bones (Pureblood)**

 **Megan Jones (Pureblood) Hannah Abbott (Half-blood)**

 **Justin Finch-Fletchley (Muggleborn)**

 **The above were all mentioned in the books. Below are "The Original Forty," but are never referenced.**

 **Runcorn (Female. Pureblood) Wayne Hopkins (Male. Half-blood)**

 **Roger Malone (Male. Half-blood) Sally Anne Perks (Female. Muggleborn)**

 **Kevin Entwhistle (Male. Muggleborn)**

 **And of course: Merlin Ddraig (Half-blood/ Druid) Surname is "dragon" in welsh, just in case you were wondering.**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading this, and it would be lovely if you could leave me a review, thanks! :)**


	2. The Wrath of Umbridge

**First of all, I would like to say just how lovely it was to receive so many followings, favourites and reviews. It certainly made the stress of being in Year 13 easier to bear!**

 **Now some of my reviewers do not have a fanfiction account, so I will answer your queries in my A/N (though at the bottom as some potential queries may have been answered).**

 **Also, like I mentioned last chapter, the time lines are slightly messed up in this story and as such although this has moved further on time wise, it does not take place at the same time that it does in the book. Different Houses, different structure, that kind of thing.**

* * *

The Justice of the Druid

Chapter Two – The Wrath of Umbridge

Merlin closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he let the aroma of freshly cut grass fill his senses, relishing in the peace and quiet that being in Greenhouse 7, one that only Hufflepuffs or extremely advanced Herbology students could enter: it was where Professor Sprout's private office was situated, where it could overlook the extremely specialised and rare plants.

"Nature freak," Megan commented laughing next to him, but there was no malice in her tone, only affection.

"Quidditch nerd," Merlin retaliated, not bothering to open his eyes to poke her stomach.

"Hey!" Susan squealed, "I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, sorry."

Merlin opened his eyes to smile crookedly at the girl, who had her hands on her hips and was glaring at him. The furious persona however, was threatening to break as her lips attempted to curve upwards into a smile, and her eyes glinted with laughter.

"You know Meryn, if you like grass so much, why don't you get up close and personal?"

Before Merlin could voice his confusion, shavings of grass were suddenly dumped over his head and he spluttered as grass filled his mouth. His vision turned green, so it wasn't all that surprising when a few seconds later he lost his balance and fell.

A sickening crunch was heard, and with the help of Susan and Ernie, Merlin was helped back to his feet, all the while spitting out the shavings and blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Hearing Hannah's soft exclamation and Zach cursing quietly, Merlin looked down, to see one of Professor Sprout's prized Wiggentree which protected those who were in contact with its bark from all Dark creatures and magic. They were _beyond_ rare: typically it was only Druids or those _extremely_ lucky who grew them.

And Merlin had just crushed it.

"Merlin's _arse_ ," (Which Megan exclaimed) didn't even cover it, though the Warlock had hastily run his hand over his buttocks to make sure he hadn't ripped his trousers or anything untoward.

"Bollocks," Susan swore.

Merlin was inclined to agree with both of them.

"What are we going to _do?"_ Susan groaned loudly. "Naomi will be out soon, and the Professor will know instantly that something's the matter as soon as she comes out to fetch the next one."

"Let's just – let's just think calmly and rationally about this," Ernie interjected.

" _Calmly and rationally?"_ Hannah shrieked. "For Helga's sake it's _the_ Wiggentree! The only one of its kind in the country!"

"And you should not be getting that close to it Meryn!" Megan scolded. "Considering you broke it first I don't think we should be going in for another round!"

" _Relax_ Quidditch nerd," Merlin spoke calmly as he scrutinised the plant. "I'm the _nature freak,_ remember?"

Collectively, they all let out a sigh of relief. Of course, it was Ernie who voiced the unspoken query that they all held, being the pragmatic one there.

" _Can_ you heal it? With your Druidic magic?"

"Yes," Merlin murmured, "But in order to make it truly work, you'll all need to be quiet as Wiggen's prefer peace. And yes," He added with a good natured eye roll when he noticed Megan shift from foot to foot, "You can all watch."

There was an immediate stampede towards him, and a hushed silence when they noticed he was about to start.

Merlin took a deep breath in, reminding himself that it was okay to use the Old Religion in front of them, but thirteen hundred years of conditioning to hide it was hard to override. Using the instinct that every Puff seemed to possess, Susan laid a hand on the Warlock's shoulder and instantly he felt better.

" _Batian."_

Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and he smiled as the broken branches slowly mended themselves and the leaves regained their curious mix of green edged with gold. The tree began to right itself, to become vertical once more.

"Is it me," Hannah commented when the spell ended, "Or has it grown?"

"It has indeed," A sweet voice replied from behind them.

The Hufflepuff students whirled round, to find Umbridge standing at the entrance to the Greenhouse. She stepped inside, her stupid pink heels squelching slightly every time she miss-stepped and ended up in the damp earth. Immediately, the students formed ranks around Merlin, in a manner which was not overly obvious, but clear if one knew what they were looking for.

"A very impressive display of magic there," She continued sickeningly, eying Merlin. "Twenty points to Hufflepuff."

There was a surprised intake of breath from Susan and Megan shifted her weight once more. It was unheard of for a House other than Slytherin to receive points from the DADA Professor unless they agreed with her views. It made them feel uncomfortable, and solidified their fear that Umbridge was _too_ interested in their Druid.

Umbridge stepped closer, and Ernie almost trod on Susan in an effort to get out of her way as she moved forward to inspect the plant. Merlin hoped she would touch it: it would be interesting to see if she would be repelled. Unfortunately though, she stayed around two meters away.

Ernie Macmillan stepped forward then.

"I regret to inform you, Professor, but this greenhouse is forbidden to those who are not Hufflepuffs or herbologists."

"It's okay Ernie," The Head of House interceded, standing on the threshold of her office, Naomi walking back to the group, the slight hint of a smile she had shown now shoved away, replaced by the ice mask that descended as soon as she saw the toad. "The High Inquisitor is here to represent the Ministry."

Suddenly it made sense why the muggleborns and some of the half-bloods from 'lesser' families had their interviews last night in the Den instead of attending the Story Telling session, and why they were using her official office today.

"Indeed," Umbridge continued with a smile that was too wide, as she seemed to stare at Merlin in particularly, "I will be offering guidance on how to obtain and achieve success in the Ministry and the best ways to enter it."

"And on that positive note," Professor Sprout said brightly, "Next is Meryn. Come on in."

* * *

Professor Sprout's official private office was, like everything she touched, homely. The greenhouse let in warm sunlight and gave you a tinted view outside, whilst the venting ensured that it didn't get sweltering. Little plants decorated the office and ivy grew up and along the roof with tendrils drifting down so it was like moving through a green waterfall. Yellow and black bean bags were dotted around the office along with an official looking desk and chair, covered with yet more plants, compost and a few pieces of parchment.

Merlin's Head of House immediately made a beeline towards the bean bags, and gestured for Merlin and Umbridge to take the seat. The earthy smell was prevalent here, and instantly Merlin felt more at ease and relaxed. It helped that Umbridge eyed the bean bags disdainfully before electing to stand, and it was clear from the twinkle in Sprout's eyes that she had planned on making the toad feel uncomfortable.

"First of all, before I let Madame Sprout start this session, I would just like to inform you that my door will always be open for you to be able to discuss your career at the Ministry."

"Thank you, Professor," The Head of House magniamoniously bowed her head before attending her student. She offered her student a box filled with animated chocolate wildlife which was coloured yellow and black in a variety of species. "The frog ones are good. They have a bitter caramel in them," She aside, when she noticed that Merlin's hand was hovering between a bumblebee and a badger.

The connotations were not lost on the Warlock and he picked one up and bit into it savagely, causing Umbridge to look away, overcome by nausea all of a sudden.

"Meryn, you've missed your previous career sessions due to many different reasons, some of which were not your fault," Professor Sprout started off, shooting Merlin an almost guilty smile as he recalled the last incident.

Professor Sprout had gone AWOL one day and had missed the Hufflepuff show, and was recorded to have not slept in her bed, causing the Hufflepuff security to trip and the den had gone into lockdown with the plants growing over the entrance, causing them to miss a whole day's worth of lessons. When they emerged, it was to discover that she had found a rare plant in the Forbidden Forest and was negotiating with the centaurs over it and had simply lost track of time.

"And as far as I am away, you have not given me any indication of what you would like to do specifically..." She shuffled some parchment which had magically appeared in her hands and peered at it. "You have _very_ good grades in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions and Astronomy. Arithmancy exceeds expectations bordering on outstanding. Charms, Transfiguration and the casting side of Defence Against the Dark Arts, though it is noted by Lupin that your handling of dark creatures are brilliant, and Moody stated that you were the only other person aside from Mr Potter who could throw off all the curses are... difficult for you."

"That's putting it lightly," Merlin joked.

Professor Sprout smiled at him no doubt remembering all of the occasions when the den had been put in a state of emergency only to discover that one of Merlin's spells which he had been told to practice had backfired. Nobody judged him for his lack of ability; instead every badger did their best to tutor him.

"So, is there any particular career that you would like to pursue, Meryn?"

A movement from the corner of his eye caught Merlin's attention, and he shifted slightly to see Umbridge subtly moving in closer. He had forgotten that the toad was there she had been so quiet: which was unusual for her. He ignored her suspicious behaviour anyway.

"Although I don't really think I'm appropriate material to do a Masters in Potions 'cos of my spell work, I still like the subject though."

"Well, there aren't many careers that involved potions specifically without needing a Masters in it..." Professor Sprout began to shuffle through her papers again.

"There are plenty of job openings in the Ministry which do not require you to have a Masters in Potions, or indeed Charm or Transfigurations," Umbridge spoke, for the first time since she had entered the room.

Professor Sprout jumped, and Merlin suspected that she had forgotten that the toad was even there, such as she had managed to position themselves so the woman was hidden by the veil of green and they could pretend to have a tad of privacy.

"That may be true," Professor Sprout tilted her head in acquiescence, "But they would not be high level."

Umbridge coughed, delicately, and Professor Sprout ignored her.

"Actually," Merlin said quietly, almost timidly, "I was thinking to continue my family business."

"Hem hem," Umbridge coughed, having apparently decided that being out of sight wasn't working for her and had thus made her way towards them. "The Ministry is very flexible –"

"Oh Dolores," The Head of House sympathised, "You seem to be suffering from a sore throat. Here," She continued, thrusting the box of chocolates in the toad's face. "Have a sweet."

The High Inquisitor looked set to disagree.

"I _insist."_

Reluctantly, Umbridge reached forward, and selected a bumblebee, the flying creature squashed quickly between her fleshy lips. Merlin swallowed nauseously, and turned back to Sprout, who looked rather ill herself.

"So, does your duty require any particular skills?" The Head of Hufflepuff asked delicately.

It was no secret in the den that there were families who dealt in the less... savoury side of the law and who specialised in extreme areas. It had been decided decades ago that there was an unspoken rule that your inheritance was not to be discussed openly, indeed only with your closest friends in order that you did not have the risk of being judged unfairly.

"Hem, hem."

"No," Merlin lied. "It would be helpful for me to continue with Arithmancy, and Potions. I would like to continue Astrology as well as I find it... relaxing. But- well, I was thinking that I could maybe pick up Muggle Studies? I didn't have enough space on my timetable to do it for OWLs but I think it would be useful."

"Hem hem."

"Of course, Meryn, that's fine. It _is_ a good idea, and we could probably find a way for you to do the NEWT course at the same time, though of course that will take an extra slot –"

"That's the problem," Merlin sighed, "It means I won't be able to continue with Herbology."

There was a choking sound coming from behind him, but the Warlock ignored it as he concentrated on who was most likely his joint favourite teacher along with Professor McGonagall.

Professor Sprout looked taken aback for a moment, and a flash of sadness passed through her eyes, but then she gave her warm smile which comforted every student and seemed to recover herself.

"Yes, well, whilst I would have _loved_ to have you in my class, Meryn I do understand why you cannot continue it. However, I think, you would still be a herbologist at heart."

Merlin's eyes widened. "You mean – even though I wouldn't be taking your class-"

"I think you will find, Meryn, that it would suit your best interests to take Herbology in order to succeed well at the Ministry –"

"I think I have already made clear that I do not wish to enter the Ministry of Magic!" Merlin exclaimed.

Umbridge continued, seemingly undeterred by his outburst. "We can organise your timetable so that you can attend both your official and your family duties. Important families such as the Malfoys do this-"

" _I do not want to go to your Ministry!"_ Merlin yelled in frustration.

There was silence for a moment. The High Inquisitor's eyes grew cold, and she walked forward.

"I feel, Delores," Professor Sprout intervened, "That Merlin has made his opinion quite clear, and that you would not be respecting and only aggravating the matter if you remain here whilst this career appointment is in session. If you would step outside –"

"Now you listen here, you little _whelp,"_ Umbridge hissed, completely disregarding Sprout and leaning uncomfortably close into Merlin's space, who had backed up completely in his chair in an effort to stay away. Her voice had lowered to nothing, so that even Merlin with his enhanced hearing could barely hear her. "You _will_ take Herbology and you _will_ enter the Ministry, in a combined department of agriculture and magical creatures. Your skills as a Druid will be invaluable and will ensure the Ministry will stay ahead in those subjects even on the international front. You will be treated as _well_ as it could be _,_ with the respect your _race_ deserves. Otherwise, your unfortunate condition might... _slip out._ And then even your 'prestigious' bloodline will not protect you, _Meryn."_

Merlin couldn't help it, the anger of being threatened, combined with the terror – _what if they find out? They will judge him, they will use him, they will betray him–_ made him lash out, and it was only by pure luck that he had his eyes closed from shielding them from the spit flying from the High Inquisitor that the flash of gold didn't give him away.

There was a massive _BANG,_ and when the shock wore off, it was to see Professor Sprout standing over her badger protectively, her wand out in a threatening position, and Umbridge on the other side of the greenhouse, wrapped up so tight in the tendrils of the vines and a Devil's Snare that she was turning purple.

"Don't you _ever,"_ Professor Sprout roared, "threaten _any_ of my students _ever_ again, regardless of whether you are the High Inquisitor and representative of the Ministry or not! It is _unacceptable_ to behave like that towards _any_ student and I. Will. Not. Stand. For. It. Do you _understand DELORES?"_

There was silence.

"Professor," Merlin said, trying hard to stifle his giggles, "I think she's unconscious."

* * *

Surprisingly enough, there was no retaliation from Umbridge set upon Professor Sprout, or indeed Merlin. Once again, he was left alone, except it was different from when she had found out what House he was from: then, she had treated him with respect, and was clearly frightened of what he could do, and yet...And yet after she had taken an afternoon's sick leave and had disappeared from the school's premises, she had began to make pointed remarks, hinting... hinting...

So he should have been relieved of being ignored, and yet he was beginning to feel sick with nerves and with tension and with _something else._

Perhaps it was how Ernie received two weeks worth of detentions for intervening between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin badmouthing each other's families, or how Susan was given a week for handing in her essay late (because Madame Bones had suddenly taken ill and she was allowed to visit her Guardian). It turned out they weren't the only ones, because later on in the House meeting, it was revealed that it was only purebloods who were being picked on.

"I don't understand though," Gabriel Truman, a seventh year Prefect, "Why the Purebloods? If she's so pro blood purity, surely it would make sense that she would charm us, in order for her to remain in good stead with our families?"

"Other pure families are also being mistreated from other houses," Leanne pointed out.

"Yes, but either they are in Gryffindor and are publically siding with Harry Potter, or they are of the 'lesser' blood. Take the Weasleys: one of the oldest families, and yet the Weasley Twins have received almost as many detentions as Potter." Hannah Abbott informed, the fifth year who had the most friends from outside the house.

"But Macmillan, Fawley, Olivander, and Rosier: they are the members of the Sacred Twenty Eight. Including the Bones, Jones, even the Smith family as we're descended from Helga herself," Zacharias proclaimed rather magniamoniously, "we are being targeted. We have powerful connections. So why us, why _now?"_

"She's been extremely careful in only targeting lesser half bloods or muggleborns," Gabriel Truman acknowledged. "Which suggests –house?"

"Slytherin," Megan confirmed. "I used the Hogwarts records and Professor Sprout."

"Then she's cunning: which is why we weren't targeted sooner with these vile detentions: she _knows_ that we could stop her, perhaps not individually but altogether, although she is rather cosy with the Minister."

"She's a coward," Susan stated angrily.

"Yes, yes," Ernie waved her off, "but Gabriel has a point: we _could_ bring her down, Helga knows we've _tried,_ but to ruin her carefully thought out plans? She's a coward, and she's a bully. Which means that to target us _now_ means-"

"Means there's someone she considers more of a threat. More powerful. More influential. But _who?"_

Merlin itched his left hand absentmindedly, and was shocked to find a wet sensation greeting him. He looked down, to see his scar wide open, blood leaking out of it.

 _I must not withhold secrets._

* * *

Umbridge stormed into their DADA class, the door almost coming off its hinges in her fury. She strode to the front of the class and then turned around, her posture deadly.

Nobody dared to move.

"I heard," She started off, "A _nasty_ little rumour today."

Nobody dared to breathe.

"Everybody in this class," She continued sweetly her gaze sweeping the room, "Has done something remarkably _stupid._ I will give you one chance, _once chance,_ to apologise, and to retake your statements."

They stayed quiet. Around him, Merlin could hear a nervous thrumming, and knew that Ernie had started to tap the desk.

"You have _all_ declared your allegiance to Harry James Potter, a little attention seeking, lying little _brat_ who claims that the biggest monster the world has ever seen, You-Know-Who, has returned. This is _against_ the Ministry's view."

Still, no one spoke. By now, Roger would have offered up a sarcastic comment which would have had all who heard him in tears, but even he, the daredevil that he was did not speak.

"I had expected better of you, Miss Bones," The High Inquisitor started," Considering of your good lineage and your family. Your parents and your Aunt would be most disapproving."

"My _parents,"_ Susan hissed, "Would be _proud_ of whom I pledged my family's allegiance to. Rest assured, _Professor,_ they would be _most_ against _yours-"_

"And your stupid Ministry's to boot!" Megan declared loudly.

"Statements like that could be regarded as treasonous, Miss _Rivers,"_ Umbridge contradicted, maliciously using Megan's mother's muggle name, demeaning her.

"And statements like that, _Umbridge,"_ Ernie Macmillan boomed, "Could be regarded as an insult to the House of Jones."

"It is only considered treason, under article fifty, subsection two point thirteen, to threaten a member of ministry personal if they are persons of high establishment, clearance and consequence. You, High Inquisitor," Naomi Runcorn said mockingly, her voice like ice, "Are neither of the aforementioned."

"Was that a threat, Miss Runcorn?"

Umbridge's voice was quiet, her pudgy eyes glinting menacingly.

"It was a promise."

"From all of us," Justin Finch-Fletchley finished, with everybody else making noises of agreement. Even Sally Anne, who normally seemed so fragile, appeared to burn with righteous anger.

"Two months worth of detention, for every _single_ person in this class, starting this evening. Except for Meryn."

Merlin stood up quickly, his Hufflepuff tendencies kicking in.

"That's not _fair_ Professor! I fully support Harry Potter and I will aid him in all matters with the full backing of my House behind me!"

"-Which is a fool's errand."

" _Then give me DETENTION!_ For the Goddess' sake, why aren't you listening to me? _"_

"Oh no, Meryn," She whispered. "I am heeding your words."

Desperation and sickness and fury and need and hate and love swept through Merlin like a storm and he choked on his magic.

"I swear on my magic to retract my statement," He blurted out urgently.

 _He will not abandon his house. He will not betray their ideals; he will not let them down._

A self satisfied smirk appeared, and there was a sadistic gleam to her eyes.

"Regardless, although it _is_ appreciated, my decision is final."

Merlin's stomach dropped suddenly.

 _What have I done?_

* * *

Merlin sped out of the class as soon as it had finished, not heeding the shouts and cries of his classmates, steadily ignoring them. He couldn't face them, not now, not since he had betrayed his house's values and had been left behind whilst they all took the blame for deciding to pledge their allegiance to the light, even though it was Merlin who had rallied and encouraged them, and Merlin the one to do it first.

Hufflepuff had been his saviour, his redemption.

Because he had become so _lonely_ before that human interaction was alien to him, and because he was in the House of Tolerance and of Friendship, he hadn't trusted his housemates to his secret and even now, they thought that they knew everything when there was _so much more_ to say. He hadn't expected it to hurt so much – after all, he had had to keep secrets for his entire life – but to be accepted so completely and full heartedly had broken down his barriers and unconsciously, his house had burrowed their way into his heart.

And now he had failed them in their hour of need.

He didn't attend lessons that afternoon and instead roamed aimlessly, never staying for too long in one place. He knew that soon his friends – _no they would not think that of him anymore_ – his housemates would organise a search for him if he didn't turn up for didn't turn up for dinner and there was a danger of them looking for him if they had frees, but he didn't want to be found.

The Warlock continued to be in a daze for the rest of the week, unresponsive to the increasingly worried calls of his fellow 'puffs, and taking food in the kitchen as he couldn't face eating in the Great Hall. As time continued, more and more students were being targeted, and Merlin was running himself into the ground staying up late at night and secretly entering each and every room, to stand over the unfortunate student whom had had to suffer a detention with the toad, and whisper words of goodness and purity, his eyes gleaming gold throughout, which caused the pain to disappear, and the scar to fade a little (although he made sure that in Umbridge's eyes, it would remain as bitterly red as possible).

If is body hurt slightly more afterwards, Merlin couldn't tell.

It was two weeks after the careers interview disaster when Merlin realised what was going on.

He had been walking down the corridor when he heard the unmistakable sound of a cub in pain. He bolted immediately, his classmates now used to his newfound ability of fleeing, and followed the echo, climbing up a staircase and crossing three secret passageways before he found them. Two boys stood in the middle of the corridor, opposite Umbridge. Although he could not see their faces due to Umbridge being the one to face him, he knew who they were: Ethan and Connor Jonquils.

Muggleborns.

"Students of identical sex must be ten inches apart!" Umbridge admonished.

"But Miss," Ethan protested limply, "We're brothers –"

"Are you implying that you are a special case?" Umbridge demanded, looming over them and yet giving Merlin the impression that she was staring at him the whole time. "Are you saying that you should get preferential treatment because of your bloodline?"

"No Miss," Ethan said weakly, "It's just that we've received bad news from our mum that our Grandpa had died –"

"Does it look as if I am the School Councillor? Let me assure you, I only give my time to students who are _worthy_ of it. You snivelling nasty little _muggles_ are not. I think," She looked up, her mouth set in a cruel smile, staring straight at Merlin, "Two months detention, for not adhering to the rules of your station."

This went clearly beyond the twins' heads – they were only second years after all – but not Merlin's. He stood there, frozen, as understanding dawned on him and he just managed to turn to the side before he vomited all over the floor.

"Meryn?" Connor asked, and then there was a cool cloth being placed on his neck and he was being guided to a sitting position."Eth, I think we need to take him to the nurse."

"Oh no," a sickly sweet voice sounded, causing him to retch again. "There will be no need. Meryn here is simply suffering from the same malady that has affected you boys mixed with, perhaps, a hint of guilt."

* * *

It was late by the time Madame Pomfrey let him out of the hospital wing, and Hogwarts seemed almost frozen in time, as if the decision that Merlin had to make would affect the future, the world. Merlin walked along the empty hallways, relishing the quiet, and steeling himself for what was to come.

For the rise in detentions, the loss of temper, the cruelty and the suffering directed towards Hufflepuff House was Merlin's fault. He had rejected the High Inquisitor's offer, and thus, her position and ambition was at stake. All that time, when he had been revelling in the reprieve, was simply the calm before the storm. If he hadn't been _dead_ to the world, then he would have spotted it sooner – _so selfish, betrayal of my house, why why why why why –_ and less people, less _children_ would have been needlessly hurt and scarred because of him.

For Umbridge wanted the Druids.

For the Ministry.

To control them, to degrade them to less than nothing as they would be made effectively slaves, to _use_ them.

And specifically, she wanted _him._

He stood in front of the door, knocked, and went in, shutting it carefully behind him. Sitting behind her desk, wearing a large grin was Umbridge, looking disgustingly pleased with herself.

"I see you have made use of my offer all those weeks ago regarding the Ministry," she commented with a sweet smile.

Merlin swallowed bile.

"I, Meryn, Lord of the Most Noble, the Most Ancient and Original House of Ddraig, hereby gives an oath to Dolores Jane Umbridge, claimant of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Selwyn, that hereby I will work in the Ministry and endeavour to do my best, which includes therefore taking Herbology as a educational qualification of the highest standard."

His eyes flashed gold as the oath took hold and he felt his life-force bind to hers.

"There now," She said with sweet satisfaction, "That wasn't all that difficult was it?"

* * *

 **So there you are! One MASSIVE chapter, approximately 5000 words, and boy, did I rush to get it out to you.**

 **Guest(s): Thank you for your lovely reviews and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Song: Yes, I can confirm that this is indeed going to have a** _ **full**_ **reveal, in more ways than one ;)**

 **Please, read and review! (I know that I rushed this a heck of a lot so there are bound to be spelling mistakes. If you spot any, can you please drop a review or PM me so that I can sort them out?)**

 **I love to hear your theories and I try to adapt as many as I can to this storyline.**

 **Until next time (which will probably be a week, possibly eight to nine days from now I am afraid, but I have a lot of coursework and UCAS to do I am afraid :(**


	3. The Druids' Court

**Hello everybody! I had much feedback from the last chapter and the overall reaction I think was "why did Merlin give an oath to Umbridge? I was a bit out of the blue/ unnecessary/ what's the point if it isn't magically binding considering he used the persona 'Meryn'". After consulting some of you, I have decided NOT to rewrite and expand on the last scene last chapter (though if it is a popular request the option is still open) and I will not explain Merlin's actions here. Instead, I'm afraid you are going to have to trust out favourite Warlock, whilst he throws you all titbits :)**

 **I have a proposition for you all to consider in the A/N at the end and would appreciate all comments (regards the length of this story so like it's pretty important). Guest reviews will of course be answered at the end.**

 **Also, I think I wrote the lines that Merlin received the wrong way round. Please give me your feedback at the end.**

* * *

The Justice of the Druid

Chapter Three – The Druids' Court

" _I, Meryn, Lord of the Most Noble, the Most Ancient and Original House of Ddraig, hereby gives an oath to Dolores Jane Umbridge, claimant of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Selwyn, that hereby I will work in the Ministry and endeavour to do my best, which includes therefore taking Herbology as a educational qualification of the highest standard."_

 _His eyes flashed gold as the oath took hold and he felt his life-force bind to hers._

" _There now," She said with sweet satisfaction, "That wasn't all that difficult was it?"_

Merlin glared at Umbridge, who simply raised an eyebrow calmly in retaliation.

"It's your turn _Delores._ Make the oath that you will not harm the children anymore with your sickening detentions."

She laughed then, a high cruel sweet laugh that mocked the Warlock. When she subsided, she looked at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh _no,"_ She breathed, "You are not in the Ministry yet, _Meryn._ You do not hold that power over me."

"I am the Lord of –"

"Whilst that is very impressive, you are an orphan, the last of your bloodline. You are also only fifteen, the youngest in the year, aren't you?" She reached out, and took hold of Merlin's cheek, behaving in a way that kindly matrons do to small children. Not a monster to the greatest warlock the world has ever known. "You hold _no_ power over me yet until you turn eighteen –"

"I am an adult by Druidic law –"

She giggled, letting go of his cheeks to waggle a fat finger in front of his face admonishingly. "Nice try. But when I was poorly I paid a visit to the Ministry, specifically the Halls of Records and there is no mention of that law regarding those not of Royal Descent. I checked with Professor Binns. So where was I? Oh yes, you have no power over me until you turn eighteen, and by then," The High Inquisitor continued, clapping her hands together with excitement, "I am sure that we will be the _best_ of friends."

"Not," Merlin hissed angrily, not submitting to the humiliation of rubbing his red cheek from her _kind_ administrations in order to lessen the pain, but making a mental note to scrub it hard with soapy water to be rid of the germs, "If you continue to hurt my classmates. I am a Hufflepuff, _Professor_ and they will _always_ have my loyalty first and foremost. You _abused_ them in order to get to me and it was _not_ _fair_!"

Umbridge studied him, her head tilted slightly to one side, and Merlin forced himself to remain still as he felt her eyes slid over his body.

"To believe in fairness," She mused aloud, "Must be such a hassle. No wonder you are regarded as the weak house."

The badger bristled at this, and he began to conjure a spell to remind her just how _weak_ a badger could be when their cubs are at risk.

"They are _blameless._ I am not."

Her eyes gleamed.

"I think then, that we have reached a solution, don't you?"

* * *

Merlin stood outside Umbridge's office, mentally preparing himself for the next detention. He was early, but he had _modified_ the charm which the toad had placed on the door alerting her to people in the corridor (the rise in pranks had gone up after that, with none of them getting caught. Still, there was a crime that needed to be punished and Merlin preferred him drawing the short straw than anybody else) and thus she didn't know he was outside. He rested his head lightly on the cool stone wall, taking deep breaths in order to settle his stomach and to calm his magic.

His body appreciated the coolness and the relief from overheating it was suffering from as Merlin was wearing a long sleeved shirt with a thick jumper: they were the only things left he had that blocked the... _side effects_ he was experiencing.

Then the sound of shouting echoed through the corridor and Merlin knew somehow, that Umbridge was involved. So he ran, ran as fast as he could, hoping that he would be able to get there in time, be able to stop the detentions and the bloodshed.

It turns out that blood wasn't what was being shed. It was tears.

And later that night, after Trelawney the now sacked Divination Teacher had been gently led by the hand by Pavarti Patil and Lavender Brown and Firenze the new Divination Professor -who also happened to be a centaur - was shown his new chambers, Umbridge stood alone in the Entrance Hall, vibrating with anger and with embarrassment at being thwarted.

Merlin gladly took the pain the blood quills gave him that night. Umbridge ranted and raved around him, waving her arms wildly, her eyes feverish. With a few well placed comments, his detention lasted well into the night. By the next morning, Umbridge had cooled down enough to behave rationally.

And Merlin's hand, like the rest of the words on his body, continued to bleed.

* * *

It was in the middle of Divination when Merlin next saw Umbridge again.

Classroom eleven was no ordinary room. On the ground-floor ("because obviously horses can't climb stepladders Ernie") in a corridor that had not been used for centauries - Merlin should know, he was the reason why it was blocked off after an unfortunate incident in the 1600s – and if not for the Warlock, then the badgers would not have been able to turn up for their lesson at all.

Even so, when you stepped inside, it was no wonder that Divination quickly became their second home after Herbology. With several trees and an array of bushes dotted around the room along with ivy to cover the walls and long soft grass underfoot, it soothed the badgers instantly and quickly the class had become friends with their new professor.

Currently, they were lying on their backs, chattering among themselves as they waited patiently for the plants they had picked from the selection in the room to bind to each other.

"I never knew foals could be so efficient," Firenze commented as unusually, he walked around the room, circling them.

"We're badgers!" Kevin cried out indignantly.

"Of course. I apologise," Firenze continued affectionately, his tail swishing out. If centaurs could fidget, Merlin would say that Firenze was doing just that, but fidgeting was a human trait and thus he brushed it off as an unusual occurrence. " _Badgers_ have a gift of scavenging: which you made clear today."

"You are the only animal here, _centaur."_

The students gasped in shock at the rudeness of the statement, and the revulsion that accompanied it. Their heads swivelled as one, to see Umbridge standing a little inside the room, her wand in her hand, it pointing straight at the Divination Professor. Merlin suddenly realised why Firenze had become so restless: he had been able to smell the toad, and must have known that she was coming.

Firenze had placed himself in the firing land, directly in front of the children. He was shielding them.

"The stars foretold that you would come today, Madame Umbridge. Mars is in conjunction with Uranus and Pluto is in their sights."

Umbridge sneered, his face torn in an ugly mask of disgust and prejudice.

"The stars predicted that your time here has _ended_ half breed."

"Jupiter, however, is also in a strong position tonight," Firenze continued, though his eyes flashed in warning.

"By order of the High Inquisitor –"

"You do NOT have that power!" Susan Bones yelled out, furiously. She made to stand up, but a warning flick of the tail from Firenze settled her, albeit reluctantly on the ground once more.

"She's right!" Ernie boomed pompously. "Educational Decree Number 23 –"

"The Minister _kindly_ issued a new decree after reviewing the situation here and deeming it unsafe for children-"

"More like unsafe for _Firenze_ and Trelawney and Hagrid and those like him!" Megan Bones shouted, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Therefore, under Educational Decree Number 30, the High Inquisitor has the right to evict persons from the school grounds if they are deemed unsuitable or unsafe in any form for the role required of them. This is such a situation now. Go from these grounds peacefully, and back to your _herd,_ and no harm shall come to you."

She _knew_ that the centaur could never return to his herd willingly, and yet she still gave him the appearance of having a choice. There was no choice. Only Merlin could see how Firenze's tail twitched nervously and how he had to force himself from not taking an aggressive stance, though.

"When I accepted Headmaster Dumbledore's kind offer of teaching, I was banished from my herd. If you return me to the Forbidden Forest, Delores Umbridge, you shall be causing my death. Would you be able to live with that, I wonder?"

"So you will not go by your own free will?"

Firenze held his head high and he stood erect, a majestic figure in the sunlight of the forest.

"I shall not."

Umbridge gave a sickly sweet smile as she uttered an incantation and moved her wand, producing –

Merlin felt sick and behind him, he heard Justin Finch Fletchley retch in a nearby bush, and Megan collapse in horror.

"Come along now, _Firenze_ ," She said impetuously as she held the horse bridle out in front of her, shaking it. She walked forward, a sadistic gleam in her eye. "Now there's a good boy."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Ernie had stood up now and had his hands clenched together so hard small droplets of blood fell from where his fingernails had pierced his skin.

Naomi Runcorn had produced her wand from the goddess' knows where and although was sitting down, was pointing it menacingly at the toad. Susan and Sally, who were considered the most level headed out of everybody in the group, didn't bother to reprimand them. Indeed, if Sally wasn't looking after Justin, it was likely that she too would have drawn her wand.

"Keep _back,"_ Naomi warned icily, her green eyes cold. Her hand was steady and her aim was true. There was no doubt that she would hit Umbridge.

Firenze was near shaking with rage, and he pawed the ground angrily. Merlin knew that if it was any other time, and at any other place, the centaur would most likely have charged at the monster stood in front of them and injured her. But there were foals in the way. And so the centaur stayed where he was as she advanced towards him.

Seeing that she wasn't stopping, the others had all gotten to their feet by now with their wands out, raised. Ernie made to take a step forward, but was forced to a stop as he hit a silvery barrier.

"What the-" Kevin started in amazement, as he came to stand in front of the impenetrable force field, the others following him. They shot spells at it, and started to kick and punch it, but it wasn't working.

"You foals must _not_ be hurt by the mistakes of others," Firenze said clearly.

And suddenly, Merlin realised that throughout the lesson when Firenze had been pacing nervously, fidgeting, he had been drawing runes into the grass, stamping them in. To protect them. He had known what was about to happen. He turned around to look at them, as he forced himself not to retreat from the monster approaching him, his beautiful blue eyes so reminiscent of another's whom had sacrificed themselves for Merlin long ago.

And suddenly, Merlin was filled with determination.

"Move," He commanded to his fellow students. His friends.

 _No more. Friends no more. Not after this._

But he couldn't let Firenze die. He couldn't let the centaur be _humiliated._

So he closed his eyes took a deep breath, and smiled. When he opened them, gold shone like sunlight, blocking out the sky. He moved forward slowly, ignoring the whispers from the others, and the grins that they wore when they saw his eyes. He walked straight up the barrier, paused.

Then walked straight through it.

* * *

"You shall _not_ take Firenze, Umbridge," He spat.

With every stride that he took, he felt his clothes morphing around him as the magic of the castle recognised what his aim was and helped him to achieve it. His badger cloak darkened to a lush forest green, and his shirt turned into a simple midnight blue, the laces drawn loose. His boots turned into liquid and became a puddle on the ground, before returning to their original state when he left them behind as he strode forward once more. His trousers too, changed and a belt appeared around his midriff, bunching the loose fabric together, emphasising his waist. In his right hand, his wand slowly enlarged, until a small _boom_ sounded every time it hit the floor and in his left, as he twisted it slowly in a circle, the Crystal of Neahtid forming as he recalled it from his dwellings. And his hair moved and swayed as a circular object shimmered into existence, though the heaviness did not bother Merlin.

It was not a boy that stepped in between Umbridge and Firenze, turning the disgusting horse bridle into ivy which grew up the toad's hand, restricting the blood flow with a single thought.

It was a King.

"My Liege," Firenze gasped in amazement, instantly lowering his body into a bow, his head almost touching the floor in his reverence.

Merlin smiled softly, not at the display of loyalty, but that people still remembered who he was, all that he stood for.

"Do not worry, Firenze. No harm shall come to you."

He turned back to Umbridge, his eyes still blazing gold.

"I warned you of the power that I wield. And yet you did not listen. I warned you of the inheritance I receive, and you did not listen. When, Delores Jane Umbridge, will you _learn?"_

She stepped forward angrily, until they were almost toe to toe.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way. _Boy."_ She hissed. "You are obstructing Ministry business-"

"And _you_ are obstructing the Druidic court. Firenze is under the protection of the Druid King himself. Do you dare to question his judgement?"

She stood shocked at that statement for a moment, clearly confused. It was not an uncommon reaction: behind the Warlock, there were murmurs of conversation as the badgers tried to piece together what was happening, the only certainty they had was that Merlin was still displaying their house qualities by being unafraid of toil and tolerance and kindness.

"There has been no Druid court for hundreds of years," She started off slowly. Merlin was surprised: she had obviously done her research. Not well enough however. "The last King died sacrificing himself in order to save Loch Ness."

Merlin laughed. "You mean there has not been a Druidic court attended by a member, or informer for the _Ministry_ for centauries and that there has been no mention of our King. Let me assure you, _Senior Under-Secretary,_ that the Ministry is _not_ in charge and that there _is_ a higher authority." The Warlock was the one to lean in now. "And that higher authority is telling you to _leave_ _Firenze_ _alone_."

Umbridge gave a sweet sickly giggle, and reached out as if to pat Merlin's face, except that the vines on her hands prevented her from moving them. For a second, a flash of worry passed through her beady little eyes, before sadistic pleasure once more reigned supreme.

"A good try, _Lord Meryn_ of the House of _Ddraig_ , but not good enough. Do _not_ lie to me again, need I change the terms of our, _ah,_ little agreement?"

Firenze reared up in anger, his hooves narrowly missing the toad as they came crashing now onto the grass. Merlin remained unaffected at the show, but Umbridge trembled, her eyes darting from side to side.

"You _dare_ accuse my liege of lies?" He pawed the floor, reminiscent of a riled bull. "I might have betrayed my kind to teach yours, but I will _not_ stand for such an insult!"

"Calm yourself, Firenze." The Warlock held up a hand and instantly the centaur quietened. He turned back to the High Inquisitor. "You forget your place, _wizard._ Do you honestly think you could change the terms of my oath binding myself to you? You are so _weak,_ so _pathetic,_ that you lie about your own heritage, and cannot distinguish others."

Umbridge's eyes bulged.

"You claim that wizards are the brightest, the strongest, and the best humans, and that all other types of life are _animals._ Yet you do not even recognise _me."_

He opened his arms and spun, his cloak swirling outwards in a majestic circle, the Crystal glowing more brightly.

"I am the Druid King and _you will bow."_

* * *

When Umbridge left the room quaking after Merlin coldly advised that unless she wanted to cause a diplomatic incident between the two peoples, she would leave those under his rule, such as Firenze alone, he was almost afraid to turn around and face the judgment of those whom he cared about. But he could not act as a coward for any longer, not when his people such as the proud centaurs were willing to be _bridled_ in order for his heritage to remain a secret. _That_ was true courage, and he would not devalue it by standing by and doing little.

The King of the Druids turned to see the entire room bowing to him.

Walking forward, he stood in front of Firenze and took his own hand within his (juggling the staff and the Crystal of Neahtid in the same hand). "Firenze, you have done me a great duty today. Thus, this is my gift to you. Rise."

He closed his eyes, and exhaled softly. As he did so, his magic permeated the air, gold swirling through the air until it landed on the centaur and was absorbed into his body. This continued, until he was encased in shimmering gold.

"Take my blessing and distribute it amongst you. If Bane rejects you, he is to be exempt."

"My lord –"

"Go, Firenze. I believe the unicorns in particular have missed you. Eternia has been lamenting your departure, and their young are not so joyful."

Once again, the centaur bowed, before rising swiftly.

"Class dismissed," He called out. Then, softer, he said to Merlin, "Do not be afraid sire. The stars guide you."

When he had cantered out of the room, Merlin let his eyes follow his form through the walls, making sure he had reached the Forbidden Forest safely before returning to his classmates. Seeing that they were still bowing to him, he quickly rectified the situation.

"Please," he said, shyly, "I don't like the formalities."

As he stepped forward, the process reversed, and his clothes depicting his kingship gradually became his school uniform once more, and his shoes returned to his feet (for some reason, the official clothes of a Druid King mean that you were barefoot. After thirteen hundred years, Merlin still didn't know why). By the time he stood in front of them, his appearance had returned to normal and they had all straightened up.

"You didn't – you don't –have to bow to me. I only made Umbridge do that 'cos she deserved it and –"

"Mate, it's okay," Kevin intervened. "There's no need to ramble."

"Indeed," Naomi Runcorn observed, offering Merlin a (rare) smile which lit up the room, contrasting her normal icy demeanour. "We were only showing the respect you deserve."

"Yeah," Megan joined in. "Rest assured I don't bow to _anyone._ I have standards. _"_

They all laughed, apart from Merlin.

"I don't want you to treat me different though," Merlin said awkwardly, raising his hand to play with his hair, a nervous tick of his and ignoring the twinge his abused handmade as the scab split open once more. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you-"

His words became muffled as Ernie MacMillan stepped forward and pulled Merlin into a hug, which quickly became a pile on session, resulting in the Warlock being squashed on the floor by his fellow badgers.

"I've changed my mind," He wheezed laughing and unable to get the oxygen he needed, "I _do_ want to be treated differently if I'm always going to be on the bottom."

* * *

"I think you know why you are here, don't you?"

"Yes Professor."

Merlin stood in front of Umbridge's desk as she stalked around the hideous room, tapping her wand against her other hand, where, he noted in satisfaction, the marks from the ivy were still clear. He stood ramrod straight, his eyes forward, remaining unflinching every time she pointed her wand at him, and it was clear she was testing him. Testing his magic.

"Good," She hissed, and suddenly she was in his face, her wand under Merlin's chin. "Don't you _ever_ embarrass me like that again, do you _understand?"_

Merlin stood unyielding as he stared her down.

"As long as _you_ never interfere in matters which are not your concern. Your _embarrassment,"_ He sneered, "Would have been averted if you had simply _listened_ to what Dumbledore had said: that you did not have the power to evict Professors. Yet you did so anyway, and you wreaked your own destruction."

Umbridge slapped him, drawing blood from all of the rings on her stubby little fingers. She gently moved her finger along his cheek, catching the blood, and she inspected it between her fingers.

"It seems you think we share the same blood," She mused, "And yet you are much more animalistic than I. And those mutations of yours are what is saving you now, _boy._ Anybody else and I will not tolerate this insolence. You might be a _King_ among your own people _,_ Meryn, but you are serving _me_ now and I am not your subject. Those children out there," She pointed at the inner walls adorned with kittens, "They are also not your subjects. They are _mine._ So unless you _shut up_ , and be a _good_ little King, _they_ are the ones who are going to pay the price for your attitude. Understand?"

"You do not have the ancestry, or the familiarity to call me by my first name, _Umbridge_. You will address me as 'your highness.'"

Umbridge spat in his face.

"Unless you want your _pathetic_ house to suffer, you had better get started on your lines. Oh no," She continued, after Merlin had sat down and was about to start, "The lines have changed."

And as Merlin began to write, a searing pain came from his left hand.

From then on, the blood never stopped dripping from the cursed words etched into his hand:

 _I will not tell lies._

* * *

 **Tada! Whew, that was a mighty chapter. I am sorry that I didn't get it out to you sooner, but I caught the bug going around college and it made me out of commission for two days. Anyway, back up to full speed now :)**

 **So, the two questions I would like to receive an answer for:**

 **First off, this story s originally a four chapter story and it has been planned out thus. However, the next and final chapter is VERY bulky and as such: would you like it to be broken down into two, much more manageable chunks (with equal action I assure you) or one very hefty chapter? I feel as if I should warn you that they will most likely take the same amount of time to publish, as it's so big that it will take me more than eight days to compete it I'm afraid.**

 **Second off: In Merlin's first detention, the lines he was given were 'I will not tell lies', and the next set of lines here were 'I must not withhold secrets'. Now, I think I was supposed to write them the other way round. Do you think I should change it? It would certainly fit with the narrative better...**


	4. Dumbledore's Army

**I would like to apologize for taking so long to post this. It has been a stressful few weeks and whilst I shall not give you the rundown (who really reads this and cares) I would like you to be aware that I am genuinely sorry for not posting this earlier.**

 **So, what was** _ **supposed**_ **to be the first part of the chapter but what actually turned out to be the whole chapter was written due to a request from KaiaRenkin, who wanted to see Harry.**

 **And no, this is NOT the final chapter(s) as yes; I have decided to split them in two. They'll be over 10,000 words otherwise (this is 4000) so don't worry that it's not wrapped up to your satisfaction!**

* * *

 **Enjoy!**

The Justice of the Druid

Chapter Four – Dumbledore's Army

Harry's POV

Tonight's DA had been going well, Harry reflected. They were still doing the Patronus Charm and the jovial mood in the room lifted everyone's sprits. Hogwarts had grown darker these last few months due to the Ministry's and Umbridge's intervention, so to have a respite, even if only for a few hours, was a relief. The atmosphere was light, and there were laughter and smiles on everybody's faces, even when they did not succeed, and when they did, their grins lit up the whole room.

But then Dobby had appeared, warning them that Umbridge was coming, and all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, three doors appeared in the room and above each was an emblem of the Houses: an eagle, a lion and a badger, whilst the exit which led to the seventh floor remained. Harry had no idea how they had appeared – most likely Hermione had asked the room to do so – but it was a lifesaver.

"Everybody, _through those doors_!" He yelled.

"Potter," A voice sounded, and Harry turned around to see Meryn Ddraig striding towards him, flanked by the Hufflepuffs.

It was strange, how the dynamic in that house had changed. Before, the House still protected their own, but it had risen to a new level in the previous month. Now, they all seemed to gravitate towards Meryn, orbiting him, obeying his every instruction and glaring at anybody who commented on his magical skill, which was renowned throughout the school as being sketchy. Even the younger years hastened to do everything he asked, and there was a strange kind of adoration in their eyes.

Harry shook his head to rid himself of his musings. There was no time to do that now. Umbridge was coming.

"Yes?"

"I've asked the room to provide the doors to take everybody back to their respective dorms, but a representative of each sex from their house _must_ stay behind in order for it to work."

Harry understood what the badger was saying: six students would have to take the exit which would lead them straight to the toad and most likely the Inquisitor Squad.

"I'll do it," Hermione appeared from out of nowhere.

"So will I," Cho said softly, with Terry chiming in his affirmation as well. Harry turned to look at her, gratitude in his eyes at what his sort-of-ex-girlfriend was risking for him. She gave a half smile in return, and a look of determination appeared.

"The younger 'puffs have returned to their dorms." Ernie Macmillan announced, pushing to the front. We need to move _now."_

Harry opened his mouth to point out that the rest of the fifth years could go as well, but with a warning glare from Megan Jones, he shut his mouth quickly. The room was completely emptied now – they had managed to evacuate in seconds with the doors now disappeared – and the Gryffindor knew it was time to go. As one, they stood before the exit and took a deep breath. Then he opened it, and as once they started to sprint.

* * *

He had no sense of time, or spatial awareness as he ran. He didn't know if the others were even following him, or if they had chosen their own path, but when a yellow spell hit his legs out of nowhere and he fell to the floor, there was another " _oomph_ ", and twisting, Harry could see Meryn sprawled on the stones a foot behind him, his face contorted in one of severe pain.

"I got some!" Draco Malfoy crowed, a smirk on his face. "Potter and a 'Duffer."

"I am a _Hufflepuff,"_ Meryn hissed angrily. Malfoy shrugged cruelly, his gaze malicious as his stormy eyes passed between the two raven haired boys.

"Look who's the teacher's pet now _Malfoy,"_ Harry spat.

"Well _done_ Draco," A sickly sweet voice said, just as Malfoy stepped forward, his wand out.

Harry's stomach fell and he offered little resistance as somebody pulled him to his feet – Goyle, it turned out. Beside him, Merlin straightened out, though his robes clung to his body in several places, becoming dark with what seemed to be blood. Both glared at Umbridge as she sauntered into view and behind her –

Was the rest of the fifth year Hufflepuffs, along with Hermione, practically being dragged towards them by the Slytherins.

"We caught some more mudbloods and 'Duffers," Pansy reported unnecessarily. "Also two geeks."

She made a motion with her hand, and then Terry Boot and Cho appeared, suffering from what appeared to a combination of the jelly leg jinx and the mummification curse.

"This is _quite_ the catch, isn't it," Umbridge commented, smiling as she studied the students she had caught. Her gaze lingered on Sally Anne Perks who had a deceptive appeared of being fragile, but whom Neville had informed him had stood up to Umbridge over two Gryffindors, unafraid. She had been given a week's worth of detention, but mysteriously, did not attend and there was no follow up punishment.

"And so _strange_ that we find you here, on the seventh floor... only a corridor away from the Room of Requirement." She made a gesture with her hand. "Come."

They were dragged gleefully slowly back along the way they had ran, and Harry was nearly shaking by the time they arrived there. If Umbridge knew that they had been meeting there, then the game was up. Although he had specified that they needed a place where no one could find them, it was with the connotation that it would allow people if they had been told, if they had been _trusted,_ with the secret.

Now it seemed, even with Hermione's curses on the parchment, that one of his pupils had betrayed them.

Umbridge walked tantalizing back and forth along the corridor three times, muttering under her breath, and the last of Harry's hopes faded as a door materialised. Although the others had gotten away, they had left the list of members inside the room. She threw the door open. Then her face drained of all colour and she slammed the door shut, locking it with magic behind her and she closed her eyes, breathing heavily.

"Professor?" Malfoy asked uncertainly.

Her eyes snapped open, the fear replaced by a hot anger, and she strode over to them. Harry braced himself for the explosion of pain that was most likely to come – except that she walked straight past him without a glance to –

To Meryn.

Who gazed back at her with a smirk that would put Salazar Slytherin to shame.

"Did you like what you saw, _Professor?"_ He asked with laughter in his eyes.

She slapped him across the face, the _crack_ echoing down the corridor, panting heavily. Harry reeled back in shock as the realisation of what she had done hit him, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see outrage echoed in the other captive's face, whilst poorly hidden shock glazed with glee on the Slytherins. Unusually though, was that the Hufflepuffs, although they were angry, had little smirks too on their faces, and their eyes shone with pride.

"What did you do you little _whelp,"_ She snarled. "Change it back."

Meryn stared back, unimpressed.

"My chambers have _standards_ , Umbridge. Did you honestly think they would just let you _waltz_ in?"

Chambers? The Room of Requirement was _Meryn's?_

Harry blinked quickly, confused by the turn of events. Dobby had assured him that the Room was older than Harry, older than Dumbledore even, that they had been there since the beginning. For Meryn to claim them, he would have to own an extremely large ego: and it opposed the view that Harry originally held for him, though that was now out of date by several seconds now.

"They do have a sense of humour though," The badger continued to reminiscence. He broke out into another smirk. "What was your greatest fear?"

"A _boggart,"_ Hermione whispered, flinching when Nott jabbed his wand into her windpipe, warning her to keep quiet.

Umbridge saw a boggart when she tried to access the rooms? That was certainly interesting, and if it was true what the Hufflepuff was saying then the hope that Harry thought he had lost had relit itself, and was once more burning within his chest. Umbridge snarled at him, then turned and brandished her wand at the Hufflepuff -, who stood there, still smirking with pride and _not doing anything_ _(why weren't they doing anything, they are in the House of Loyalty)_ \- the words of a malicious spell on her lips.

" _Engo-"_

There was a flurry of movement, and suddenly Meryn stood in front of his fellow housemates, a golden barrier shimmering into place behind him, protecting the students whilst Crabbe lay groaning on the floor, a pair of donkey ears on his head.

Cho burst into giggles at that.

" _Stop_!" He called out frantically. "Let them go!"

Umbridge lowered her wand, her satisfaction clear to see. It was obvious that she knew how the student would react, and for the first time Harry began to wonder how many times this had happened and what the consequences had been. The two people in front of them had an odd relationship, one built on the challenge of power and authority with an undercurrent of tension. But it was not friendly – no, what he saw in front of him were two people toying dangerously with the other, tip toeing on a miniscule line.

"That was – that was what we agreed on."

Now everybody was confused, even the Inquisitor Squad at what was happening, except, perhaps the Hufflepuffs, who were looking on with sad smiles on their faces combined with pride and anger and passion. And Harry grew more puzzled because _what on earth was happening?_

"Show me the list. Bring it to me."

"Let them go first."

Umbridge considered, and then she snapped: "Fine. Let the _Hufflepuffs,"_ she sneered, "Go. Set them free."

It was clear that the Slytherins disagreed with their leaders, but they did as ordered and Harry felt the terrible sting of betrayal as their captives were shoved away from them. The mysterious golden barrier fell, and with one last glance and a gentle touch of the shoulder to their comrade, the badgers fled the scene. Meanwhile Merlin, with one last glance down the corridor where the 'puffs had disappeared, he took a deep breath, then walked to the wall where the Room of Requirement lay behind, and he didn't stop.

He walked straight through s _olid wall._

"I- _what?"_ Hermione muttered flabbergasted. This time, Nott didn't try to stop her, his own confusion plain to see and the Slytherins began to whisper to each other.

A second later, Meryn reappeared, ghostlike like as he walked through the solid barrier as if he was simply taking a stroll through a garden. The long list of parchment was clenched in his left hand and he shoved it unceremoniously in Umbridge's face.

"This is just a load of gibberish! Take the enchantment off!" The High Inquisitor exclaimed angrily once she had hungrily read the parchment, looking for the names of the condemned. She waved it about and Harry caught a glimpse of it.

Indeed, what was written on there was a load of gibberish. On the top, in bold were the words "Mae grŵp darllen ac ysgrifennu yn Gymraeg" and beneath it were incomprehensible words and phrases, peppered with weird symbols that Harry had never seen before and crude drawings. One showed what looked like a pig crossed with a horse would look like, and the other showed the science – since when do wizards know about _science_ \- behind the rubber duck.

Harry took a sideward glance at Hermione. His wordless question was answered with a slight shake of her head.

 _No, it wasn't me._

"What enchantment?" Meryn asked, puzzled. "It's quite clear what it says."

"Enlighten me."

"The Group for Reading and Writing in Welsh about Science," Merlin proclaimed with a roll of his eyes.

"Uh, yes," Terry chimed in, nodding vigorously. "Meryn was teaching us welsh. Like a pysgoyn wibbly-wobbly and popidy ping."

Umbridge had turned purple by now, such was her anger, and she did not look convinced in the slightest by the tale they were frantically spinning. She began to walk around them, circling those not of her House in a predatorily gate. Harry's knees went weak at the clear threat she presented, but he forced himself to remain upright: he would not give the toad or Malfoy the satisfaction that they had gotten to him. Cho wasn't so determined however, and disgustingly, Pansy was forced to hold her up.

Still though, Meryn stood in the centre, unmoving, untouched by what was happening around him. His chin was held high, and his stare was defiant as he never unwavered in his task of locking eyes with Umbridge in a silent staring contest. Something seemed to pass between them after the Hufflepuff randomly scratched his cheek with his left hand and Umbridge turned once more to the Slytherins and said:

"All of you _go_."

Malfoy opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off with a warning glare from the High Inquisitor. Thankful that he was getting a reprise, Harry quickly shook himself free from the Slytherins grasp and strode quickly to help free Hermione from Pansy who had decided to help Nott after her charges had left and was innocuously choking the girl.

"Except for you, _Potter."_

Meryn turned, and Harry thought for a moment he would protest. But instead, he locked eyes with the Gryffindor, assessing him, _reading_ him like a book. A ghost of a smile touched the Hufflepuff's face and he inclined his head ever so slightly. The relief that Harry felt was inexplicable –he didn't know _why_ he felt that he needed to make the right impression, hell he already knew the guy – and by the time he regained normalcy, Hermione had disappeared with the rest of the students. He knew she would make it back to the tower safely: he had a suspicion that Ron had searched for the invisibility cloak and had come straight back, and besides even if their other best friend wasn't there, she could protect herself amply from the Slytherins.

"Unravel the enchantment, _Ddraige._ I am a _Slytherin_ and all of the cunning you possess is _not_ enough to convince me."

Meryn stared down his nose at the indignant toad.

"I will not."

She stepped closer, infiltrating the Hufflepuff's personal bubble, a cold expression on her face even as she smiled. Her eyes were shadowed, dangerous, and her gait predatory.

"You think that what you received in our little sessions are _bad,_ Thraigee? That because you decided to become the sacrificial lamb for your House that it makes you _strong_? Because there is worse pain then the quills you are using, pain that I am sanctioned to perform on you due to what makes you _different,_ what makes you think that you are _special._ "

She stepped forward, so that she was right up in his face, and her wand moved to press directly above the student's heart. Harry couldn't take it anymore, and ran forward, to stand in-between them, to try and push them apart. He might not be a Ravenclaw, but he wasn't stupid: even if Umbridge _wasn't_ about to use the cruciatus curse (because that was what it certainly sounded like she had threatened to do) whatever spell she chose to use on the boy who was _innocent_ did not stick with him.

Besides, he was a Gryffindor: he was _supposed_ to be stupidly brave.

"These students, your classmates, your housemates, your year mates, they are _mine._ And by going against Educational Decree No. 23, you are going against the _Ministry_." Umbridge spat, seemingly unaware that there was another body in-between her victim, attempting to separate them. There was an emphasis on the last word that Harry didn't understand, but he felt Meryn flinch behind him. He began to back away, forcing the Hufflepuff to move ware from the toad in front of him, lest he trip.

"I can't remove the enchantment, _Professor,_ as it can only be read by those who have sworn loyalty to _me_. They are _mine."_

With every word, Meryn had stepped forward, so that Harry had to move out of the way otherwise he would have been sent careening into Umbridge. When the Hufflepuff stopped, if he had been the same height as the toad, they would have been nose to nose. As it was, it was more like nose to chest. Harry watched as Umbridge swelled with uncontrollable rage, with pure hatred in her toady eyes and moved her wand back into place over his heart and Meryn was too busy smiling to realise what was about to happen, his wand still in his pocket ( _why was it in his pocket the stupid badger)_ and her lips began to shape the dreaded word –

" _Cruciatus!"_

Harry leapt forward, barrelling into Meryn and sending the badger flying as a curious rushing sound emitted from her wand which he knew was the sound of the curse as it had no light and then the badger was on the floor and Harry got tangled up in his legs and he couldn't move and braced himself for the pain –

And there was nothing.

It was Meryn's legs twitching beneath him which made Harry remember that he was laying half on top of the poor boy. With a muttered apology, he quickly scrambled to his feet, only to find Umbridge staring back at him quizzically, her wand still in the same casting position.

"You see, Delores?" Meryn asked breathily as he hoisted himself up. His hand hovering at his side for a moment, white fist clenched tight. "They protect me, and thus I protect them. They are bound to me as I am bound to them."

* * *

After Umbridge had disappeared, storming off down the corridor, Harry turned to glare at the badger breathing heavily beside him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Is this just some _game_ to you?"

The boy didn't react; still panting as he stared off at the direction which his fellow badgers had taken. The Gryffindor drifted back, remembering a time in the Hog's Head when the Hufflepuff had bent over the parchment, slowly yet tenaciously writing his name on the parchment. Harry's anger rose. Who was he to think that he could bind everybody in a magical contract to serve him like some king? That he could play mind games with Umbridge and throw threats and half lies like confetti?

"A game." Meryn's voice was distant. "Yes. I suppose this is something like that."

Harry saw red and stepped forward and shoved the by, knocking him once more off his feet. This time when he landed on the hard stone floor, he didn't feel any sympathy as the badger let out an audible groan before dragging his boy up, his clothing torn and stuck to his boy in several places.

"So _that's_ why the Hufflepuffs worship you? Because you _make them._ You disguised the members list for the DA as a magical binding bloody contract so that we all become your servants? What kind of sick-"

"You think that because you are the Chosen One, that you are the only hero in this world, _Potter?"_

Meryn spat, straightening up. He did not approach the Gryffindor, did not make any threatening movements such as drawing his wand, yet still Harry felt danger radiating from him.

"That contract, one which over fifty people has signed, _including my own friends,_ has saved you from something so terrible, it would _scar you for life_. And because you are all bound to me, Umbridge cannot touch you. My chambers, which I asked the house elves to tell you by ways of your Dobby, _protect you._ Didn't you ever wonder why nobody was ever hurt? Or how those doors appeared there tonight, to whisk everybody but the volunteers to safety? I do not care if you think little of me, Harry, but I will _never_ stoop so low as to betray my house."

Meryn shook his head tiredly, his energy leaving his body all of a sudden and he started to tremble. He took a shaky step away, but he stood on his cloak and the fragile material finally ripped, tearing itself away completely, taking some of the badger's shirt which was tangled up in it with its descent to the floor. And now pure white skin, like that of an angel was visible –

No. Not pure white skin. Instead, it had become mutilated, deformed. Angry and red. For what should have been unblemished had now been tormented. As if in a trance, Harry glided closer to see –

Words. Etched into the skin.

 _I must not tell lies._

 _I must respect Professors. I must not disregard rules._

 _I must revere the Ministry._

 _I must not become a blood traitor._

 _I must stay true to pureblood ideals._

 _I must not be kind to mudbloods._

 _I am nothing. I am worthless._

 _I am everything. I, as a pureblood, am the ruler of everything I see._

 _Loyalty is for the weak._

Over and over again and there were more words, commands, etched in, beyond the fabric which covered the rest of the misshapen flesh.

"Now you see the price I pay in order to protect them, Harry Potter."

Harry had always thought he knew what faithfulness, devotion was. He would protect his friends above himself, and nothing mattered until they were safe. Until they were happy. And if someone dared to hurt them, then fire and ash and blood would reign until they were there again with him, beside him.

But what he felt was _nothing_ to what he saw.

And now he knew the true meaning, the true cost of loyalty.

 _"You decided to become the sacrificial lamb for your House that it makes you strong?"_

"Your house –" He whispered, and his voice broke.

Harry was not ashamed: to be standing here, in front of the broken, fallen angel would be enough to bring even the heartless to tears.

"They are the only thing I have left. They loved me and raised me and nurtured me and _taught_ me and this is the only thing I can give in return. They are more important than me, than you. They are _my life."_

Harry thought that he knew love. But he never could have imagined that it could be this deep, this wide, this _feeling,_ this strong. Dumbledore had once told him that love was the most powerful force of all.

Harry finally agreed with him.

"They don't know, do they? What you are doing? That's why you wear so many layers..."

Meryn turned to look at him, his face cast in moonlight, his eyes sad, and a wistful smile on his face.

"We are similar, you and I. I do not care that you find y actions deplorable, that you dislike me after this night. I freely admit, I am an asshole. But please, Harry Potter, I ask this one thing of you: _do not tell them._ Even if I break my body, do not break their hearts."

"I swear," Harry whispered into the night.

People always thought that Hufflepuff was the House of the weak. But Harry knew better. For although Slytherin might be for the ambitious and the cunning, and Ravenclaw for the learned and the wise, and Gryffindor for the brave and the strong, they were _nothing_ compared to Hufflepuff.

Hufflepuffs were _not_ weak.

If you were a Hufflepuff, you were the kindest, the wisest, the most cunning, and the bravest of them all.

* * *

 **In the end, it turned out to be just one massive scene all about Harry which I had never included in the original plotting of this story. However, once I thought about it, I realised that I could develop the plot just that little extra bit, and for you guys to have a glimpse at seeing Merlin from somebody else's point of view who was not in Hufflepuff, and thus out of the loop. And who better than our favourite (not mine, but the majority's of people) wizard?**

 **I hoped you all like it.**


	5. The Prefects' Bathroom

**Hello everybody! Gosh, has it been a long time. I am afraid that college suddenly became extremely busy with coursework and university stuff being done, and combined with my situation at home, this had to be placed on the back burner. It was only after** _ **FangirlExtreme6035**_ **reviewed that I realised that this, and the other chapters, have not been posted. I honestly thought I had competed this... Anyway, unfortunately my editing on these chapters have not saved, so I am having to spend what little time I have in clearing them up before posting them. Sorry about that.**

 **This was a surprise chapter. I was merely trying to put a point across before reaching the finale when this took on a life of its own, and suddenly I had 3000 words and a mini plot. Writing this made me realise a number of flaws in this universe and wonder plot ideas, and thus it is likely that I will post a collection of one shots set in this universe, the most being Merlin's Patronus (which I PROMISE will be unique to all others I think). However, would you want me to publish them?**

 **Therefore, this chapter is dedicated to all those who reviewed, and made me realise this story is worth completing.**

* * *

The Justice of a Druid

Chapter Five – The Prefects' Bathroom

As the door to the Prefect's bathroom shut behind him, locked and warded so that no other may enter, Merlin sighed in relief. Although he was not a Prefect himself, Gabriel Truman had taken one look at him and had escorted him to the chambers silently and voiced the current password. He had taken one last, lingering glance at the cub, one laden with guilt and sorrow and pride and inclined his head, before disappearing around the corner, knowing instinctively that the Hufflepuff had wanted to be alone, had craved the privacy, the silence. Of course, Merlin could easily have entered the room by himself –he hadn't needed a guide to locate them, or the password to cross the threshold – but he knew it would make the Head Badger feel better, and truth be told he hadn't considered the option.

He limped painstakingly slowly across the marble tiled floors, heading for the floor-length mirror. It was a relief to be able to do that – to limp, to show the pain that he was feeling _so much_ \- and not to pretend that he was normal, that he was fine, that he could walk unaided. His legs trembled with every step, and his fingernails drew blood as he clenched his fists tightly. Yet still he continued the excruciating pace, until eventually he reached his goal.

The Hufflepuff watched his eyes flare gold and his school uniform (one vest, long-sleeved t-shirt, shirt, black jumper, badger jumper and winter school cloak) morphed slowly into a long, old fashioned dressing gown.

" _Expelliarmus_ ," He croaked, attempting to steady his vibrating hand as he pointed towards himself. Eventually, after what seemed like eternity but was only a few minutes, his unwrapped robe struggled to get away from his body, and he helped it by shrugging it off his pale, perfect shoulders, studying it with detachment as it fell gracefully to the floor before returning to view his body.

It was pale but lithe, with well deformed (but not overemphasised like Percival's) muscles. A trail of fine, silky black hairs started at his belly button before weaving down towards his navel. He stared, drinking it all in.

Then:

" _Fade_ ," He breathed, the word almost inaudible as it passed through his full lips.

And the glamours which he had been shakily maintaining fell and a body which some might consider perfect shimmered before disappearing like a mirage, replaced by one that was a landscape of hell.

And as a bloody tear trickled down his once angelic cheekbones, now mangled by the words _'Traitor to all-kind',_ he wondered how much more blood he could give before he ran out.

* * *

The water turned to blood after Merlin had bathed in it and scarlet drops trailed behind him as he heaved his frail body out of the pool, muscles trembling from the pain and the effort. The drops turned into a trickle as he knocked his shin against the side, and ' _I will not help others succeed'_ split open. He ignored it. He was becoming good at that. The only thing he was good at, it seemed lately.

" _Accio bathrobe,"_ He called out, sighing with relief as it flew clumsily towards him. A glimpse of gold later and his old attire from his days at Camelot enclosed him. For a moment he felt the warmth and the safety, and the love. And then the moment passed as his tortured body twanged with pain.

" _Glow,"_ he whispered with determination, and the now familiar feeling of glamours sluggishly settling into place around him made itself known. He limped towards the door, back towards reality, towards Hufflepuff. He exhaled once, for good measure, before he pulled open the door and stepped through.

As expected, Hannah Abbott stood leaning against the wall outside, a book on plants used to create wizarding ales clasped in one hand as she waited for her fellow badger to appear. Her long yellow hair, which used to be plaited in all manner of ways, was tied back in a limp ponytail, and it was clear she had been running her fingers through it worrying, judging by how fluffy it had become. She smiled softly, with the ever present hint of worry, as she closed her book, stuffing it back into a cloth bag she had been carrying with her, before inclining her head ever so slightly – it had become a thing ever since The Royal Revelation and no matter how hard Merlin tried to make them stop, Hufflepuff House never listened.

"You can have longer, you know. I don't mind reading some more whilst I wait. It's quite a fascinating book Neville lent me."

"I know," Merlin reassured her, "But I am done now. And you need not have waited anyhow."

The smile on her face faded, and her eyes became haunted. Merlin so wished he could help clear it away – but he could not, for he was part of the reason why they were so. For a moment, a burst of self hatred almost overpowered him for causing Hannah distress, before he reminded himself of his goal.

To protect what was his.

"No." Her words were clipped. "I needed to. Shall we?"

They set off down the corridor, and in what was becoming a frequent occurrence of late, Merlin thanked the Triple Goddess that Hannah was the type of person who took their time walking, studying their surroundings as they lost themselves in nature, and as such, meandered at such a pace that Merlin was suited to in his injured state. They switched between talking of inane subjects, such as Transfiguration, or the latest from Witch-Weekly, and walking in a comfortable silence, Hannah always finding an excuse to lag behind at the bottom of a staircase, pretending that it was normal for Merlin to take so long clambering down. It could be constructed as a pleasant, moonlight walk taken between friends. Until suddenly, it wasn't any longer.

" _Hem hem,"_ The loathingly familiar cough came, as it echoed through the corridor.

"No," Hannah whispered to herself. "Not now. _Please."_

But they turned around, to find Delores Umbridge herself, in all of her glory, her face cast in shadow, yet still being visible due to her bright pink suit she wore.

"Students out of bed I see. I am sure that is against the rules."

"Professor, I am a Prefect doing my rounds. It's not forbidden – it's been timetabled in."

"A Prefect, hmm..." Umbridge said slowly, her heavy gaze resting onto Merlin. The still wet hair, the comfortable Camelotian clothes which bore a striking resemblance to his Druid King regalia –

"Yet you are not." She breathed quietly, her little toady eyes fixed beadily on Merlin. "Do you use the Prefect's bathroom as your own then, _boy?_ Was it the only one that lived up to your... _high_ standards?"

"No," Merlin replied quietly. Beside him, Hannah had her eyes fixed on the floor in a subconscious differential gesture. "I did not use my _status_ to access them."

Too late, he realised what he had said – what could be inferred – and a flash of satisfaction passed through Umbridge's eyes, and her face lit up with sadistic glee.

"So you admit it was the girl then? An interesting choice of mate – a half blood and an Original Pureblood, with royal ancestry. And using a public bathroom to copulate in... How," Her mouth curled upwards into a sneer, " _muggle._ But then again, I suppose your family's standards dropped along with the Abbott's status centuries ago."

Hannah gasped, her face bright red in embarrassment at the insinuation. Merlin tensed, and stepped forward protectively.

"There was no _copulating_ Delores," The Hufflepuff seethed "And I do _not_ 'mate'. I am _not_ an animal."

One of Umbridge's grey eyebrows rose in a perfected display of mockery.

"I was not referring to _you_ being the animalistic one. I am sure the Inquisitorial Squad would be ecstatic to hear that Abbott is still pure, I am sure."

Hannah whimpered then, her body shaking with fear and revulsion and _hatred._ But it was _nothing_ to what Merlin was feeling coursing through his veins.

" _HOW DARE YOU!"_ He yelled, and he felt what was rapidly becoming a familiar burning sensation as his iris turned yellow, before his eyes radiated gold, with no white or black present. His magic which had become sluggish lately suddenly pulsated, filling his trembling muscles with power, and he shoved Umbridge against the opposite stone wall with a roar.

" _HOW DARE YOU BESMIRCH A WOMAN'S REPUTATION? HOW DARE YOU SPEW SUCH VILE, FILTHY –"_

"STOP!"

Merlin blinked in surprise as Hannah yelled at him.

"Move away." She stuttered, raising her wand at him with a shaking hand.

Stunned, Merlin reluctantly did as she demanded, though he watched with part regret and satisfaction as wheezing, Umbridge rubbed her rapidly bruising neck which had had Merlin's forearm shoved against it, turning his head into a pleasurable shade of purple.

"I am sorry Madame," Hannah spoke as she stepped forward tentatively, executing a half curtsy perfectly, "Of Meryn's reaction. The truth _is_ that we indeed are courting – but he wished for no-one else to know. As you can see, he is – uh – very over protective of me."

She fumbled with her cardigan, and then with an almost inaudible _click_ she held her hand upwards as she lowered her head once more.

"Here is my Prefect badge, Professor. I take full responsibility of what happened here tonight, and of our inappropriate actions earlier. I am an inappropriate role model for the students and thus, I resign."

Throughout this, Merlin had been watching the proceedings with an open mouth, too shocked to do anything. He stepped forward indignantly, the anger still fuelling his veins as _Hannah was giving up her dream for his –_ but he was thwarted by black and gold sparks directed at him. Once again, he backed down, this time because while he may not agree with what Hannah was attempting to do, the Hufflepuff signal had been made, and Merlin wouldn't betray them. Not _ever._

Umbridge's pudgy fingers reached out sickeningly slowly towards the badge, malicious gleam in her eyes clear to see. The digits brushed against the badge – and then she forced the Hufflepuff's fingers to close.

"He's protective of you, is he?" She questioned softly.

Hannah swallowed. "Yes ma'am."

"And he did not want to make your relationship known?"

"No ma'am." She whispered.

Umbridge lifted Hannah's head up with one finger, forcing the girl to look at her in the eye. "I think I now see what is going on here. Rest assured, Prefect Abbott, I shall not be taking your badge off you. Now run along, back to the safety of your dormitory. I shall deal with your abusive partner."

"No –" Hannah breathed in terror.

Umbridge tsked. " _Revertetur in terram suam,"_ she said, her wand pointing at Hannah's shoes.

 _Return home._

"Please, Professor he's innocent!" Hannah screamed as she was marched away, made prisoner by her own shoes. _"Leave him alone!"_

"Three months detention, Meryn Ddraige, serving two hours every night for the despicable acts you commit."

The magic which had been sustaining Merlin had disappeared now, and he felt drained, lifeless.

"Yes, Professor."

She grinned at him, a full on, humour filed grin mixed with glee and satisfaction and malice and hatred. Then the Toad waddled off, continuing the path she was originally taken.

It was hard for Merlin to move, at first. But eventually, he managed to do so, painfully forcing his twitching legs to take one step after another in the opposite direction to Umbridge, following the footsteps of Hannah.

He rounded the corner, to find the blonde Prefect collapsed against a stone wall, her knees drawn up to her chin with her arms clasped around them. He noticed that she was barefoot, and that her shoes which were once her favourite now reduced to a pile of ash.

"One more corridor... we had _one_ more corridor," Hannah broke down, tears streaming down her face.

" _One more corridor."_ She repeated, mumbling to herself

Merlin leaning against the wall beside her with tears in his eyes too is how Ernie Macmillan and Gabriel Truman find them, ten minutes later.

* * *

 **So there you are! 3000 words of angst for you guys whilst I make the final touches to part one of the finale – which I guarantee that you will all hate me for and will most likely cry. Sorry about that...**

 **Thank you for reading, and please review**

 **Have a lovely week everybody!**


	6. A Deal With The Devil

**Hello everybody! So, I am afraid, that this is where we begin to reach the conclusion of this story. Thus, this is also the moment where this "officially" becomes an AU – Author's Universe – as the events taking place before this (with the exception of the DA scene) could have taken place in the books, with Harry non the wiser and the plot remaining the same.**

 **No more. From this moment on, disregard canon. This chapter takes place in the summer term, shortly before the OWLs take place.**

 **In addition: halfway through this chapter, and indeed the next chapter, the POV (Point of View) will switch multiple times. With regards to this chapter, it will simply be in third person, from no singular person's point of view. Just in case you get confused when things begin to switch around :)**

 **This chapter is dedicated to YOU.**

* * *

The Justice of the Druid

Chapter Six – A Deal with the Devil

"Please Meryn."

Merlin blinked and even the small, insignificant action seemed to take all of his energy reserves to complete, draining him. He turned his head slowly, to find Naomi behind Sally a few feet away, yet still able to loom above him, her mouth step in a firm line as she stared down at him.

"I – I can't. If I go outside, I'll find it harder to revise."

" _Please."_ Sally Anne's voice broke piteously on the last syllable. She looked so forlorn, standing in front of the badger's chair.

Although Merlin's heart broke at the request, he pressed his lips together tightly and looked away. He didn't mean to hurt them – he could _never_ hurt them – but they didn't understand. If he went outside, the sunlight would begin to penetrate the layers of glamours he had cast upon himself, and his secret would be out.

But also, quite literally, he _can't go outside._

"You're so pale Meryn. It's scaring me." Wayne broke the silence, the usually stoic boy's voice becoming unexpectedly soft at the end of the sentence. "It's scaring _us."_

A touch at his cheek made Merlin flinch, and he heard a broken gasp emit from Hannah at his reaction. His mind flashed back, to when he had heard that sound once before – when _the_ breakdown had occurred after the toad had accused – had accused –

Once again, he moved his head to survey the rapidly growing group standing in front of his armchair, hoping that Umbridge was not in the common room. To his relief, she wasn't. Instead, he found that Naomi had moved towards him without his knowledge. Her delicate hand was cupping his cheek, her thumb brushing ever so gently, ever so tenderly along his cheekbone, almost as if she knew the fragility of the bone structure – as if she knew the horrific bruises that lurked underneath.

Merlin blinked, clearing his mind of the distraction.

Naomi laughed a broken sound which caused her body to jerk unnaturally.

"Look," she whispered, still stroking his face in a maternal gesture. Almost unwillingly, Merlin closed his eyes at the touch, and in his mind's eye, he saw his mother standing in front of him, comforting him. "You've finally become paler than the ice queen herself."

Merlin frowned slightly, and his now opened eyes prickled with tears.

 _Ice Queen._

Morgause had been ice, but Morgana had been fire. Morgana had been _a queen._

 _No. Don't think about them – don't think about her -_

"We can't have that now, can we?" Susan said.

"You know," Justin said thoughtfully, with Sally and Kevin nodding along enthusiastically. "In muggle primary school we were taught that sunlight has a special type of light called UV which is good for your skin. It's what makes you tan." He turned to look out of the window. "And it's certainly sunny now."

" _You've finally become paler than the ice queen herself."_

"Don't you think it's time to change that?" Naomi asked, holding out her hand.

And trembling, Merlin reached out and grabbed it.

* * *

It had taken the badgers twenty five minutes to reach the grounds. Normally, the trip took around ten minutes, but Merlin's slow walking pace made them all dawdle in a concentrated effort to not let him fall behind and Susan had recently broken her foot after falling down the stairs, so they hobbled together, supporting each other. Merlin wasn't naive though: he knew she could walk perfectly well unaided. Still though, it was faster than normal. It was only when they arrived at _their_ tree – a special weeping willow which Sprout had planted as a student – that Merlin had discovered that Gabriel Truman had gone on ahead of them, not to join his own friends and study like he had thought, but instead to set up.

Chequered blankets were splayed across the grass, and a number of wooden hampers were dotted around overflowing with food of all kinds: snacks, desserts, chocolate, carrot sticks... The flowers growing underneath the tree had been spoken to, doubling in size and their sweet perfume wafted across the lake, combining deliciously with the scent of fresh water. The lulling sound of the waves lapping against the sand was audible, but there were special charms in place to ensure that it couldn't be distracting, and likewise with the perfumed flowers. As soon as Merlin pushed his way through the low, trailing leaves, the noise of the outside world faded, and only snatches of conversation could be heard, all which inevitably involved Umbridge.

"Here Meryn."

The twin first years Ethan and Connor rushed forwards and linked arms with the Hufflepuff, subtly helping to take his weight. Slowly, they began to inch forward, as they gestured wildly with their free arms, busily spilling to him details about the skipping stones contest they had recently won due to Merlin's mentoring of them. They guided him to a ridiculously out of place padded armchair and manoeuvred him, still chatting all the while, so that he could collapse into it. Merlin let them do it of course: it wasn't as if he could manage on his own. He was astonished he had even been able to make it this far.

"This is absolutely _marvellous,_ " Ernie was saying, congratulating his fellow Hufflepuffs on what they had accomplished. "Honestly it really _is_ very impressive what you've been able to achieve in such a short space of time."

"We've been preparing this for a while," Truman acknowledged, his eyes flicking quickly to Merlin and back again to Ernie. The pompous prefect blinked at him in understanding. "We wanted it to be perfect."

"Oh, it _is!"_ Ernie clapped his hands excitedly, the shadows under his eyes already disappearing in the glorious sunlight. With a jerk, Merlin realised his chair was moving smoothly down, until he was at the same level as the others who were reclining.

"Wha-"

"It's a new feature." Justin explained with a twinkle in his eye. "Do you like it?"

"We walked in on them charming it and then Susan taught us how to do it so we helped!" Connor beamed proudly, with Ethan anxiously nodding the whole time.

"That is – that is _very_ impressive guys, well done." Merlin congratulated, still slightly out of breath from walking there. He looked up, painfully and made an effort to make eye contact with everybody around him. "Thank you."

They all stared at him for a moment, a touch of a smile on their lips, a hint of sadness in their eyes. Then, as one, they inclined their heads, becoming subservient for a precious few seconds.

"Hey, Ethan," Merlin whispered loudly, in order to break the silence and the respect that he was rapidly becoming unfamiliar with, "Do you want to see something cool?"

" _Yeah."_

Merlin closed his eyes and concentrated as he mentally gathered his strength in order to perform magic. He forced himself not to move or shudder as he collected his magic, which screamed in protest as it was wrenched away from his injuries. It was getting harder and harder for him these days to perform _any_ type of magic, regardless of the age, but even when he persisted on doing so, it was so pathetically _weak_ that it would have been better if he hadn't done it at all.

" _Hors, beride_ _þá_ _heofonum."_

The heat haze and the water evaporated from the lake which passed lazily under the tree combined and became visible, before contorting to make a shape. Merlin squinted at it, gritting his teeth and he concentrated in order to channel more of his magic into the spell due to it being slightly difficult to see the animal he had created. The contorted air gained a golden shimmer to it, highlighting the shape the –

"Whoa, that is so _cool!"_ Connor enthused, his grin nearly splitting his face it was so big.

Merlin's eyes widened and he gasped in pain as his magic _mutated_ and a dragon made out air and heat and water and _magic_ came into existence, flying around the small clearing under the tree. And then he began to stumble backwards, desperate to get away as the dragon turned, to face him. And then flew directly _at_ him.

" _Merlin!"_ A female voice cried out in worry, and he clamped his hands around his ears, his eyes still wide in terror as the dragon came bearing down –

Before disintegrating into water and magic, tiny droplets raining down on him as the spell ended. For once, the Hufflepuff was thankful that his spells had become weaker lately, for what had happened was _not_ what he had created. The spell he had uttered was one to create a horse, _not_ a dragon.

That had not been him.

"That was _amazing!"_ Kevin cheered, leading the round of applause. The Hufflepuffs gathered within the magically expanded space began to cheer, each wearing expressions of utter joy and contentment.

"Are you okay Meryn?" Susan asked, gently taking his hands from his ears, holding them within her own.

"I –" Merlin's eyes flicked around the small glade. Everybody was celebrating. Nobody was pointing at him in shock and horror and betrayal and awe after hearing his name, his _given_ name. Nobody was screaming in terror and hatred and anger at hearing _her_ voice, _Morgana's_ voice. "- Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't want the water in my ears, you know? It would've been hot due to my magic powering it."

He grinned sheepishly to cover up his multiple lies. Susan bought it, smiling gently in understanding and helpfully guiding him back into his chair.

"That was _perfect."_ She brought her head back, in order to be able to look at him directly in the eyes. "Thank you."

A few hours passed in peace, with everybody concentrating on revising and doing work. Even those who did not have important exams, such as the Jonquil twins were working, offering to partner up with people and have spells and charms enacted on them, or tested their fellow badgers. They were content.

After a while, noise from the outside world began to penetrate their little bubble under the tree, and Hufflepuff House gradually realised that there was a small commotion outside. Following a quiet conference, Truman sent out Ernie and Susan to investigate the problem, and although they had all tried to be subtle, it was clear that they were worried about the disturbance reaching the Warlock who was relaxing with them for the first time in what felt like aeons. They returned and frogmarched in, and in between them were –

"Oh, hey Neville." Hannah Abbott blushed and turned to hide her head in her textbook, suddenly becoming deeply absorbed in Transfiguration, even though everybody knew that she hated the subject.

Susan sniggered at her best friend whilst Kevin stood up enthusiastically to wave at Neville's companion, a short girl with long straggly dirty blonde hair and eerily misty blue eyes. "Hey Luna! Over here!"

"Hello Kevin," She replied dreamily.

"Help me with my Divination?" He asked eagerly. "Please – you're always so good at the predictions."

"That's because you let the nargles cloud your thinking too much," she reprimanded gently. "Besides, I wasn't here to talk to you. I came to speak to Meryn."

Merlin raised his head in curiosity at his name being spoken, and watched flummoxed as the girl daintily picked her way over towards him before coming to a stop in front of his chair, all the while beaming and practically bouncing on her feet.

"Hello Meryn. Come for a walk with me."

And without even getting a chance to say goodbye to his friends, Merlin was dragged onto his feet and out from under the tree.

* * *

It was a hot summer's day outside. Hogwarts grounds, whilst beautiful in a wild sort of way at the best of times, came into its own in the season of light, with the sun illuminating hidden paths through the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake a shimmering blue-green. But Luna paid the scenery around them no attention whatsoever, and instead, began to walk; only halting once to take her shoes off her feet and allowing Merlin a few precious seconds of rest. She dragged the Warlock directly across the grounds and into the shade of the castle, and it was there that she finally stopped, when their backs were pressed against the cool tone wall of the castle. He closed his eyes to relish the feeling as it contrasted greatly with the burning sensation of the cuts and bruises which littered his body.

"You shouldn't have gone outside. Your glamours are fading: they're almost gone."

"I know," Merlin muttered exhaustedly. "But I couldn't let them down – not again. Besides, we were in the glade – there was no direct sunlight on me."

They were silent then, though Merlin could feel the Ravenclaw staring at him, scrutinising him.

"What happened earlier?" Luna asked, tapping him lightly on the cheekbone in order to make him open his eyes, so that she could search them. He wondered idly if she ever found any of the multiple secrets he held.

"I don't know what you mean."

"You broadcasted – loudly. I was in the Astronomy Tower, and yet I heard you as clear as day. It was as if you were standing right beside me."

She had lost the dreamy quality which she was associated with, and instead was staring at him hard, a small crease forming between her eyebrows as she frowned at him.

"My spell... mutated. It became a dragon."

She nodded understandingly, though her eyes became almost unbearably sad as she gazed upon him.

"It's time." She said simply. And she reached up once more, to caress his broken cheek, tears sparkling in her sky blue eyes.

"For what?" Merlin asked in confusion.

"Dinner, of course!" She smiled, and the old Luna was back and Merlin was convinced he had imagined the unshed tears in her eyes. "I hope they're serving cheesecake!"

* * *

The Great Hall was busy that night. The students were hungry from a full day of revision, or activities which had taken place in the glorious sun, and there was a great deal of chattering and noise going on. Though the Hufflepuffs who had been with Merlin under the tree had had their picnic to snack on, they were still ravenous at suppertime. They had greeted him gaily as they walked in, mere minutes after he had done so themselves.

Due to being outside under the nice boiling sun, it was understandably cold in the huge hall, due to there being no legitimate reason to heat the room. Still, Merlin shivered every time the doors banged open and more students poured in, and he felt more lethargic than ever. The hall seemed dark in contrast to the great outdoors, so it was no surprise to see that there were candles lit.

"Oi Justin budge up will you?" Ernie commanded as he walked in, with Susan, Gabriel Truman and the rest of the Prefects with him. They had stayed behind to clear up the glade so that it was ready for next time and to cancel the multiple spells they had cast themselves – not the ones Sprout had put up of course, they were far too special and advanced to take them down.

Justin sighed, but before he began to bum shuffled his way down the bench to allow the others to sit down, Merlin stood up, deciding to make things easier for everybody. He stepped away from the table and ignored the dizziness which suddenly came upon him, instead choosing to smile at his friends when they thanked him and began to slide in. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, wishing that the doors would close as another icy cold blast shot through the hall.

"There you are, all done," Truman said, thanking Merlin profusely again. "Come and sit down by me – Meryn are you feeling okay?"

The Hufflepuffs exchanged worried glances at the Head Boy's pronouncement and then looked up as one.

Just in time to see their beloved badger waiver and collapse onto the floor, out cold.

Meryn's collapse caused the Hufflepuff table to go into uproar. At first, the other houses and the teacher at the High Table didn't notice, but then the clamour became louder as the news spread down the badgers table and everybody began to stand up in order to go and help their fallen brethren. The first who had immediately sprung to their feet to come to Meryn's aid were obviously his fellow fifth years.

The Head Boy Gabriel Truman stood up from his perusal of his friend, gesturing impatiently to the fifth years to remain on the floor. He pointed his wand to his mouth and cast the _sonorous_ spell.

"Hufflepuffs do not panic. I repeat: _do not panic._ I request that _everybody_ remain in your seats unless I, or one of your fellow House Prefects, order otherwise."

Everybody heisted in their seats, and then, seemingly as one, decided to disregard the order anyway.

"Mr Truman –" Professor McGonagall began to say, but was cut off by the pupil in question, who was uncaring that he had just rudely interrupted one of the strictest teachers in the school and who hadn't even bothered to acknowledge the interruption.

"Hufflepuff, this is Code Ddraig. _Do not disobey me."_ Gabriel roared.

There was a shocked silence. Never had Truman lost his temper like that. _Ever._ He was one of the nicest, most mild mannered, calm and collected person the school knew. When he had been chosen as Head, it was with the idea that he would play the Good Cop to the Head Girl -who was a fiery Ravenclaw with a fearsome temper – playing Bad Cop. That preconception was quickly shattered.

So it was with no surprise that his House obeyed him, though they did it with a different reason to what the rest of the hall thought. They had obeyed him because one of their newest, yet perhaps most sacred, codes had been called.

 _Code Ddraig._

And it had been in public too. Suddenly, everything became much more serious.

Restraining himself with obvious difficulty, Gabriel turned to face the Head Table for the first time.

"Professor Sprout, Madame Pomfrey, the House of Hufflepuff requires your attention. Meryn Ddraig has collapsed. We know what ails him, however it shall be spoken to you in _private."_

He emphasised the last word, practically hissing as he glared at Umbridge, who had risen with those named in the speech. There was the now characteristic look of glee on her face as she beheld the news.

"And _you,"_ He seethed, pointing directly at the toad, "Shall go nowhere _near_ Meryn. So _sit back down."_

"Mr _Truman-"_ McGonagall began aghast, but she was cut off once more, this time by her fellow colleague.

"No Minerva," Professor Sprout intervened. "The Head is right. You will _listen_ to him and respect Ddraig's wishes. And so shall you, Delores," She continued, wheeling around to the creature dressed in pink. "I warned you to stay away from my pupil, and you did not listen. I swear that if you had _anything_ to do with his unstable condition –"

Her rant was cut off as the candles flickered in unison. And then went out. The hall is now freezing cold and an indistinct sound reverberates around the room, alternating between loud and soft –

"Footsteps. They're footsteps." Luna Lovegood's voice sounded in the otherwise silent hall, and for once, nobody disagreed with her. The dreaminess had gone. She breathed out, and though nobody could see her, you could _hear_ the awe and the pain and the happiness and the sadness in her voice. She breathed out, her voice almost coming out as a sob. "They're coming. _They're coming!"_

The footsteps grow louder, accompanied by the clink of metal on metal, a sound that had all but disappeared in these modern times, even in the wizarding world. A light appeared in the centre of the room, and it grew bigger and bigger. The presence seemed to wake the Hufflepuff up as the light crept towards him, touched him, and he twitched.

In the half light, the others watched as Umbridge stood up, and the air seemed to crackle with power as Hogwarts prepared to defend themselves from the unknown invaders.

"Who dares approaches this sacred ground? This land is a school for children. A safe haven. You shall not harm them."

Tinkling laughter sounded, though there was no joy or merriment behind it. A woman with long brown hair stepped through the light, clothed in a blood red dress which trailed in the breeze. She had kind eyes and a soft mouth, both which were hard as they gazed at the Headmistress unflinchingly, so unlike the person Merlin had known and had come to love millennia ago.

"My name is Freya, Keeper of Excalibur, Lady of the Lake, Guardian of Avalon. You claim this is a safe haven, Delores Jane Umbridge, and yet the pain and suffering of your children has transcended the borders of Avalon, reawakening warriors of old."

"Suffering? There has been no suffering, unless you count the oaf's magical creatures class!" Somebody from Ravenclaw yelled.

"You are wrong child. All have been suffering. Your fellow Ravenclaws, your Gryffindors, your teachers, your Slytherins –"

At this, the students began to mumble, some blatantly disagreeing with the Guardian. Meanwhile, the shadows solidify behind Freya, turning into the Knights of the Round Table.

"You got the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs confused!"

"No, I didn't." Freya replied quietly. "The House of Hufflepuff is not suffering. Only one is. One who has taken the pain for the whole house."

There was uproar at this, and yet the house in question stayed quiet. Indeed, they had not spoken a word yet, still bound by the Ddraig protocol, even though it was not intended to extend to situations like this. A man in a crimson cloak with blond hair adorned with a crown stepped forward as Freya spoke, and he frowned as he took in what she was saying.

"You shall answer me. How has this come about? How could an individual have taken the pain of a whole house?"

Nobody answered him.

And then, slowly, Gabriel Truman stood up to face the King. He had fallen when the candles had blown out and had attempted to make his way back to his seat.

"Do you swear you will aid us?"

"Oi!" A man with brown shoulder length glorious locks exclaimed, shoving his fellow knights out of the way to storm to the front. "That's our King your talking to mate. Show some respect!"

"What do _you_ know about respect Gwaine," One of companions retorted. He was extremely muscular and wore short sleeved chainmail.

A dark skinned woman laid a warning hand on each of the knights who had spoken out.

"Quiet, Gwaine, Percival," she ordered. She turned to the Head Boy and smiled kindly at him. "He's concerned for his fellow friend and is only a child."

Arthur clenched his right fist and clasped it against his left breast. As one, his compatriots did the same, echoing the movement.

"I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, Wielder of Excalibur, Once and Future King, swear upon my bloodline, my life and my destiny, that I shall do everything within my power to aid these children, regardless of the cost."

He was nearly shouting at the end due to the outburst of chattering at the revelation of his name, but he ignored it, determined to finish his oath few. All the while, he maintained eye contact with Gabriel, who refused to cower or be intimidated, even after knowing the man's identity. This continued for a few seconds after the last words had died away. Then –"

"Code Ddraig is broken."

* * *

There was silence. And then, gradually, students began to stand up, and shout of Merlin's achievements. Of how he had taken the blame, how he had healed them, how he was their friend.

And then, to the students' surprise, another person rose to their feet. Somebody not of Hufflepuff house, but instead, of Gryffindor.

"He made a deal with the devil herself," the raven haired boy began. Pushing his glasses resolutely up his nose, he continued, even though a girl with brown frizzy hair and a boy with red hair tugged at his robes, trying to get him to sit down, "In order to save the students. He sacrificed himself, his mind, his body, his soul and he didn't even _care_ that he had done so. All he cared about was them. His house. He _loved_ them, and they loved him. Meryn... protected all of us. He is the kindest, the wisest, the most cunning and the bravest of us all."

One of the newcomers gasped at the name and Gwaine quite literally punched the air.

" _Meryn_..." Arthur whispers.

And then, finally, _finally,_ the raven haired boy who had collapsed in front of the Hufflepuff table, and whom had been awake for quite a while, looked up. And his glamours finally faded.

There were many gasps, and a number of screams as people finally comprehended what had occurred. For it wasn't a boy who was laid out on the flagstones. It was a skeleton. A monster. A _thing._

There was no skin, only blood. There were no limbs, only wounds. There were no ears, only stumps, no light in his eyes, only darkness. There was no flesh on his body, only scars. Scars of words, of phrases etched _over_ and _over_ into his skin, until they reached the bone, and _still_ they had not stopped. There was no limit, no safety zone, and no confinement area. Nothing was left untarnished. Blood and pus mixed freely, creating a crimson yellow which contrasted beautifully against the white, green, pink and blue of the body.

And yet the thing managed to find the strength to stand up. Unsupported. Unaided.

" _Of course."_ Arthur breathed, and he smiled sadly. "Of course you would be in the House of the hard working, of friendship and tolerance and understanding. Of loyalty. How could I not have known? There is only one man foolishly loyal enough to undertake such a task."

And then, astounding everybody there, Arthur knelt. And then Freya, and Gwaine and Percival and Lancelot and Elyan and Leon and Gaius and even Morgana.

"No. No Arthur, _please,"_ the thing begged. "Don't kneel for me. I am not worth it."

"I am _nothing_ compared to you, to a man whose name is revered throughout the land, who saved the children, who has royal blood greater than my own running through your blood. I may be Arthur, Once and Future King, but you are _so much more._ You're more than my manservant, than my best friend. You are _Merlin_ and you deserve _so much more_ for what you've done."

The King was fighting back tears as he spoke, and Merlin almost smiled, a familiar retort coming to mind –

 _No man is worth your tears._

And then the moment is ruined.

* * *

Umbridge stepped down off the dais where the High Table was situated. She moved steadily through the hall, like a predator, all the while her eyes fixating on Merlin, a gleam of satisfaction and glee in her eyes, her lips fixed into a full blown grin of satisfaction.

"Oh, this is _brilliant."_ She murmured, yet her voice sickeningly carries through the hall. "For do you know what this means?"

Merlin stares at Arthur, the half to his whole, the other side of the same coin, even as his stomach drops nauseatingly. He stares desperately, drinking his best friend's face in as Umbridge comes closer and closer because he had forgotten –

"You _lied_ to me." She announced with a glorious viciousness, a terrible thing unlike anything Merlin had ever heard or experienced. "And now, now your oath to me in exchange for the protection of the students is forfeit. Now, your life, and your magic, is _mine."_

There is a horrified silence as the Professors and the Knights of the Round Table finally put together just who had done this. Guinevere draws in a shaky breath, and Lancelot moves a half step in order to embrace her. It's clear that she wishes to bury her head into his shoulder, and yet she stays resolute, as she stares at the horrifying scene in front of her.

Arthur began to move towards Merlin, the shock at reuniting with his best friend finally wearing off and his instincts kicking in as he sensed the danger radiating from the woman. And the fear from Merlin, who was shaking now. The King reaches to his side, where his ever present legendary sword is sheaved and makes to draw it out, determined to protect his brother.

"No, Arthur you _can't,"_ Merlinwhispers, though his words were still audible in the silence of the hall. "The oath – it knows it's not binding now, now that you have returned. I've broken my vow and now – and now it is claiming its prize."

"The oath – the oath doesn't matter." Arthur argues.

Umbridge disagrees, and she's striding now, towards the fallen Warlock lying piteously on the floor.

"Oh no, listen to your little friend _King._ Listen to _Merlin._ He's mine now. All _mine!"_ She giggles girlishly, and claps her hand in excitement. "And what fun I shall have, gaining power I have only _dreamed_ about and a life span that – well. I had been hoping for two centuries, but _this._ This is Merlin Emrys here! The famous immortal! Never had I ever imagined I would achieve _that!_ I will be _unstoppable_. _"_

Her eagerness was clear to everybody, and somebody in Slytherin suddenly lost control of their stomach.

Unexpectantly, Merlin starts to cry.

"It's unfair _,"_ he murmurs in agony, "It's unfair that you shall live as I die. I've waited for over a millennia for you, for _all of you_ , and now we're only going to be together for a precious few seconds. But Fate has never been kind has it? For we are meeting at a crossroads, you and I. How ironic, that it is the dead who are making their way to the living, and the immortal who have been seeking you for so long finally reuniting with death for the last time."

Arthur began to cross the room towards him, and every step caused Merlin's de-aging spell to reverse. With every step, the _thing_ standing in front of him became elongated, older, and wiser.

"Freya _do something!"_ Guinevere commanded crying, but the woman shook her head helplessly.

"I _can't,"_ she whispered agonisingly. "I don't have the power."

"Morgana – Morgana _please."_ Merlin begged, as he turned his head to seek out the beautiful raven haired witch, who stood at the back of the hall, encased in shadows. "My time has come. Don't let me – don't let me be killed by _her. Please._ Kill me instead. Your old nemesis, one last time. _Please."_

And although the witch took a single step forward, out of the darkness into the light, so that all could see, she did not take a step forward. And she did not reply. And she watched, coolly, cold heartedly, as Merlin's face twisted in pain, and he cried out, almost at his original age.

 _"The Ice Queen herself."_

Arthur is right in front of him now, and Merlin has finally returned to the age he had been frozen at, cursed for eternity. The King reached out to steady his friend. Merlin is practically lifeless now, yet he is still standing on his feet, and it is clear how strong he is. How much he is able to withstand.

Arthur thinks bitterly that at least his time in Camelot had trained him to withstand pain well. Cobalt blue meets sky blue, and Arthur softens and he smiles brokenly.

"Give it _all_ to me. I want it ALL!" Umbridge shouts suddenly.

Arthur turns awkwardly, to find the pudgy pink faced witch only a few feet away from them, glaring at the broken Warlock practically in his arms.

"What you've given me – it's not everything. I _know_ it's not everything. And you are still here. You should be _dead._ I _will_ you to be dead!"

"Well she's stupid. She'll _never_ be able to cope if Merlin _decides_ to give her everything," Gwaine muttered.

Arthur stared at Umbridge for a moment, and then silently dismissed her. He returned to his best friend, whom was trying to speak to me. The words were barely audible as Merlin battled to get them past his noisy, rattling breath.

"Don't – don't touch me. Arthur – it's going, I'm going –"

Arthur whispers then: "You are not dying Merlin, you are _living_."

And finally, _finally,_ he does what he's been longing to do since the day he met the man. He initiates a hug. When they come into contact with each other, Merlin instantly begins to heal, albeit slowly.

But it was too late. Arthur hadn't been quick enough.

"YES!" Umbridge screamed, and if Arthur had bothered to turn around, he would have seen that her eyes were glowing pure, molten gold. But he didn't.

" _I'm sorry Arthur."_

Instead, he watched, as the last tendrils of life left his once immortal best friend.

Merlin had made a deal with the devil herself. And he had lost.

* * *

 **So there you are. Part one of the finale! Completed, may I add, at 01:54 in the morning, so I hope you would excuse any poor grammar and spelling you come across, or indeed, any plot points. Please, feel free to PM or review with comments on how to improve. I think it would be fair to** **warn you that it is likely I shall rewrite this, simply because – I dunno. It doesn't seem** _ **enough,**_ **you know?**

 **P.S. Remember, due to this story finishing soon (scary isn't it) if you have any plot points, or ideas that you wish had taken place in this universe, contact me and explain your idea! I have already been told several ,all of which I am planning to incorporate and write one (or more) chapters on, to specifically cover these points.**

 **I wish you all a merry weekend, week day, till however long it shall be till we meet again :)**


	7. The Price of Immortality

**Hello everybody. I am extremely sorry that I have not updated this sooner, but what can I say? Life gets in the way sometimes, doesn't it? I admit that whilst I have thought about this story a lot, I lost the thread of things and thus, I have had to reread this several times, as well as my notes before I could properly write this. Even now, I know that it's not my best. (Which reminds me, did I tell anybody what my plans were for Merlin's Patronus or had a conversation with you about it? My phone wiped itself and I can't remember!)**

 **However, whilst I was rereading this (as well as all your lovely reviews and PMs) I noticed several spelling mistakes which I will fix, and small plot holes which hopefully will be answered, either in this FINAL chapter, or the spinoff(s). Maybe. Hopefully?**

* * *

The Justice of the Druid

Chapter Seven – The Price of Immortality

 _But it was too late. Arthur hadn't been quick enough._

" _YES!" Umbridge screamed, and if Arthur had bothered to turn around, he would have seen that her eyes were glowing pure, molten gold. But he didn't._

" _I'm sorry Arthur."_

 _Instead, he watched, as the last tendrils of life left his once immortal best friend._

 _Merlin had made a deal with the devil herself. And he had_ _ **lost**_ _._

* * *

 **Arthur's POV**

Merlin was limp in Arthur's arms, and the only thing stopping him from falling hard onto the hard stone flagons was that the King was cradling him gently in his arms, like a newborn. Except that this wasn't Merlin, not really.

Arthur was cradling his Best Friend's body. His _broken_ body.

"But -" Arthur sputtered brokenly as he gazed down, lips trembling. "I had been so _sure_ -"

His words are easily heard in the eerie silence of the Great Hall, due to the School still reeling from what had occurred before their very eyes: that one of their own – a _Hufflepuff_ no less (as if that was a bad thing, or a surprise) – had given their _life_ in order to protect themselves from pain so terrible, it would mutilate their own fragile bodies. That a 'Professor' from the _Ministry_ had forced this upon the boy.

And that the boy was Merlin, _the_ Merlin.

" _What have I done?!"_ The King breathed into the anguished quiet.

And then there was a clink. The sound of something hard against the stone floor. Then another clink and another. Slow, steady, sure. Arthur turned his head, to find his half sister finally emerging from the self imposed half shadows she always seemed to encase herself in. The familiar muddle of emotions he always seemed to feel when dealing with her had become dulled over recent events, but the anger that always prevailed bubbled under, threatening to overcome it. Because _why had she stood by?_

Morgana stalked forward, all beauty and hatred and fire and ice, her painted lips curled into a snarl, her glossy brown curls tumbling free, crackling with energy.

"You _monster_!"

Umbridge threw back her head and laughed.

"You took his magic! The very essence of his soul, of what made Merlin who he is. Who he _was_. You took it, and you consumed it, consumed _him_ like it was _NOTHING_."

"Oh it wasn't nothing. But that was what _Merlin_ ," Umbridge sneered, maliciously wielding her words as weapons against the incensed Hall, "became in the end."

The tenuous control the Witch had held over her anger slipped then and Morgana _snapped._ Her emerald eyes were overcome by a blistering gold, burning hot with the fire of revenge. Arthur was unsure _why_ exactly she was so angry because _she hadn't done anything – SHE hadn't DONE ANYTHING –_ but he had to fight his ingrained instinct to back away, to pull out his sword and to fight the magic, for as his body twitched with suppressed rage, he was reminded of the body he still cradled. He looked down, and tenderly, ever so softly, he brushed the rough pad of his thumb over the fallen Immortal's cheeks. Those cheekbones, Arthur had thought, were so sharp that if Merlin willed it, they could have cut through _ice._

Now, they cut through his tears.

" _NO!"_

Morgana threw her hands out to her side, before half turning and _pushed_ towards Umbridge, the wave of magic she had called, cutting though the air.

" _Protego!"_ Umbridge squawked, her eyes wide with fear, and a semi transparent shield flickered to life in front of her. But it was no match for Morgana's magic, _old magic,_ and it smashed into the Toad, blowing her off her feet and throwing her high against the wall, before flopping to the floor like a boneless ragdoll.

There was a sickening crunch.

And then silence reigned supreme once more.

The occupants in the hall split between staring at the broken man sobbing over his best friend's body, and the irate women standing over them, whom although her identity had not been confirmed, they suspected was both renowned and feared through all worlds for the cruel things she had done.

"Is that _it?"_ A voice shouted, "She deserved _worse,_ she deserved to be _tortured_ for what she did to the children, to _Merlin –"_

Somehow, Arthur fond the energy to tear himself away from his friend's face, to look towards the Camelotian contingent, to find, the speaker's face, _Lancelot's_ face, to be painted with the ugly mask of cruelty. Lancelot, the most chivalrous, who forsook his love in order for Arthur to gain his, who gave his _life_ to the Dorochna who was the bravest and the most noblest of them all had spoke of inflicting _pain_ and _anger –_

"Hush Lancelot," Guinevere cautioned, laying one of her petite hands onto the Knight's trembling shoulders to calm him, though her eyes were hard. "The children are still here, still present, and they are not used to the old, cruel ways."

"I agree though." The normally jovial Gwaine spoke, pushing himself to the front of the pack, though taking care not to brush against Gaius. There as a mocking smirk on his face as he directed his next words toward Morgana, who had remained eerily still throughout the aftermath of the confrontation. "Could it be you have lost your touch _milady?"_

Whispers broke out between the students, all exchanging fearful glances with one another apart from the table in Yellow and Black, where a palatable aura of pain and sorrow and anger was emitted from. All of the students were crying, and they were alone yet together in their grief, not comforting each other but instead taking solace in the fact that they were not alone in mourning.

The adults up at the High Table, which Arthur presumed to be the teachers, the Professors – _who should have stopped the monster; who should have saved Merlin –_ seemed to be communicating non-verbally, but just as their resolves seemed to harden and they made to move -

A deranged chuckle sounded.

And Arthur snapped his head around in horror.

Because before his eyes, he watched with muted terror as the body of Umbridge _moved,_ her neck cracking back into place, her skull knotting together, her arms rotating in their socket to resume their correct positions, right before their horrified eyes. The _children's_ eyes.

"Child," Gaius spoke gravely, his voice hoarse from crying, "Child stop this _now!_ There are young ones present!"

The High Priestess in question didn't even flinch, still standing unnaturally still, gold swirling around her. The children who had not already moved away from her began to back up quickly in fear.

"It's not her Gaius," Freya spoke quietly. "This is Magic itself."

" _How_ -" a child began to whisper, but they couldn't finish their sentence.

Magic itself.

 _Merlin._

Trembling, Arthur looked down, hoping against hope that his Best Friend's eyelids would flutter open, that his chest would be subtly moving, that his nostrils would flair softly. But there was _nothing._

And once more, his hope _died._

"Did you honestly think that would stop _me_? _I,_ Delores Jane Umbridge of the Selwyn family, who brought the _great_ Merlin to his knees? Who conquered the most _powerful_ warlock to ever walk the earth, who gained his _magic_?"

"Believe me," Morgana snarled. "You weren't the first. _I_ was."

"And who are _you_ my dear?" Umbridge asked patronisingly.

Behind Arthur, he heard Gwaine begin to laugh, and then Percival joined in, and Elyan, and Gaius and Freya and Guinevere and Lancelot –

And then Arthur himself.

Slowly, ever so slowly, a cruel heartless smile crept onto the raven haired witch's face.

"I am Morgana Le Faye, the Last High Priestess of the Old Religion, half sister to Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King. And the Triple Goddess just granted _my_ request. Because that man who you just killed?" She pointed towards Merlin, the raven haired child. "That man is _mine_."

And then Morgana threw a ball of fire at Umbridge.

* * *

The Great Hall quickly descended into chaos as the two began to fight, with the elements being summoned as if they were mere playthings. The Professors watched on with open mouths even as they descended from the dais into the hall, their sleeves flung back and holding their pathetic little twigs like they were weapons of mass destruction. The internal radar within the Once and Future King flickered, before returning gloriously to life, the carnage finally seeming to break through the fog of pain and grief to raise Arthur from his slumber.

"Morgana _STOP_ ," He commanded, his voice becoming deeper as his shoulders were thrown back, his head held high, his regal posture returned. "You're going to hit the children!"

As had become the norm for the past millennium, his erstwhile half-sister ignored him.

And then Arthur stood up, still cradling the precious cargo as if it was the most fragile thing on earth, and let Merlin settle gently down on the table of Yellow and Black, the children around him already moving to straighten out the limbs, to make sure he was comfortable as if the Immortal was only asleep.

"You will guard him with your _life,"_ he growled, seeing determination settle into each of the student's eyes. A small part of him screamed that it was a cruel thing that he demanded – t _hey're children for Camelot's sake Arthur! –_ and it sounded like Merlin, his _precious dead Merlin,_ and although he welcomed the voice, he also ignored it.

Unable to resist, Arthur passed his thumb once more across Merlin's cheekbones and he smiled brokenly.

And then the Once and Future King turned around, and entered the fray.

Quickly, he leapt up upon the next table over – who were clad in gold and scarlet ( _Camelot's colours!_ he inwardly cheered) – and the students there began to shove the food of the table in an effort to free up space as he sprinted down the length towards the fight. Over on the other side of the hall, his family had moved into action. Elyan and Leon had made their way over to the entrance and were attempting to open the doors to no avail, whilst Percival helped to flip tables over to give barriers for the children to hide behind and Guinevere and Gaius were beginning to shepherd them towards the exit.

"It won't open!" Elyan cried. "Percival, we need you!"

The Giant swore, and ran to do their bidding, but even with his immense strength and muscles bulging, the door would not budge.

"It won't move!" _Bless Leon for stating the obvious._ It was clear that he had grown up in Uther's reign. "Freya, Gaius, we need magic!"

Perhaps not.

Arthur grinned savagely; before it faded as his feet suddenly became sticky, and he spent a precious second looking down to discover that he had stepped into a massive dish of sausages in gravy, and the covered students glaring up at him displeased, with one girl having a string of sausages adorning her thick frizzy hair

Arthur winced. He knew from experience of brushing Gwen's that it would be hard to deal with.

"Sorry," He apologised, before blinking, remembering that he was a King on a mission, and resuming his run once more.

"You _idiots,_ just use an unlocking charm," A silver and emerald student with pale blond hair drawled. " _Alohomora!"_

Nothing happened.

"Yeah kid real impressive," Gwaine mocked. " _Now_ Freya!"

"I can't!" The Lady in question shouted back."I'm holding Avalon and the Baset back and I don't have Magic of my own, not like they do," She emphasised, jerking her head towards Morgana who was busy laughing as a jet of water hit her.

"I can't either," Gaius huffed, "I'm not strong enough –it's not _working!"_

"Then continue flipping the tables," Guinevere commanded regally. "The youngest children at the back, oldest at the front, regardless of their House!"

"And Morgana," Gwaine bellowed, "Stop playing with your food and do something _good_ with your life!"

The High Priestess of the Old Religion hissed in response before ducking, a flock of canaries whizzing over her head and flying straight into the table behind her, narrowly avoiding some of the yellow and black students. She muttered a spell in response, and lazily flicked her fingers. The canaries mutated, transformed into a ferocious looking butterfly lion which barrelled into Umbridge, knocking her off her feet and causing her arms to crumple beneath her enormous weight, yet before the hall's eye they were fixed with magic.

 _The_ magic.

 _Merlin's magic._

" _Watch where you're going you blithering idiot!"_ A man with greasy black hair shouted, returning Arthur to reality as he jumped off the table, now at the correct end of the hall.

The King swore, and flipped sideways in mid air before executing a forward roll in order to avoid landing in an ethereal doe which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, cantering through the students and into the wall beyond. Arthur paused, spending another precious moment to assess the situation. The Professors were scattered around the hall and had seemingly given up casting magic due to it having little to no effect on that used by Morgana and Umbridge, who were still duelling fiercely. Instead, they had become increasingly inventive with each seemingly playing to their strengths.

A short – _extremely_ short – man stood on top of the blue and bronze table, waving his stick merrily whilst shouting incantations. The silverware around him suddenly came to life, flying into action every time a spell came their way and deflecting it back into the centre of the fray, protecting the children. A woman with flyaway hair crouched behind the barricade next to him, shaking her head and her clothing, causing seeds to fall out. She would stand up every few moments, and lob them at surrounding tables – taking particular care to throw them at the table where Merlin was situated – before alternating between foreign phrases and " _aguamenti!"_ whilst pointing her stick in the general direction, with water flowing out. A moment would pass, and then suddenly massive thick plants would grow and bloom out of the seeds, twisting and turning and growing so impossibly thick that the tables were suitably protected. Another tall woman with steel grey hair stood imperiously on top of the gold and scarlet table where Arthur had been seconds earlier, her stick pointing at her mouth.

" _Sonorus,"_ she cried, and suddenly her voice became louder, booming through the hall. ""Hogwarts is threatened!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "Man the boundaries of the Hall, break down the doors and the windows, rescue the students. Protect us, do your duty to our school! _Piertotum Locomotor!"_

And then there were harsh grating sounds, as if old metal that had almost been fused together with rust had the sudden ability to move. And out of the corner of his eye –

Arthur turned, and had to hold back a scream as one of the – what he had assumed decorative pieces since it was so overly ornamented – suits of armour that were dotted around _moved._ Before stepping off its pedestal completely. Obviously, the students themselves did not have the same restraint as he, and several of the younger ones screamed.

"Do not be alarmed you snivelling bumblesnots!" The greasy haired man who had told Arthur of earlier shouted, "It is only Hogwarts, coming to life to protect us all from this _insanity_." The dour man cast a glare at Percival, who, befitting his nature, simply stuck out his tongue childishly in retaliation, the action made more amusing by his impressive physique.

Umbridge cackled at this, a deranged glint to her piggy eyes. With one hand, she created a wind so powerful Arthur could feel his eyes loosing moisture, drying up, even though he was behind her up wind and directed it at Morgana via her stubby stick. Morgana blinked, then cursed foully as she was blown off her feet, as was the table behind her, which was basted sideways, crashing onto another table, skidding across the top and sending all of the goblets, platters of food and cutlery to the floor behind, before the table itself followed, causing a massive clatter. For a moment, Arthur thought he heard screams, but the sound was cut off abruptly and he resolved to have imagined it. Most likely it was Morgana – who was somersaulting through the air and narrowly avoided crashing into Freya, who still stood in the centre. Her flight was only stopped by a girl with long straight brown hair at the Camelot – it wasn't called that but Arthur didn't care right now – faction, who yelled out:

" _Arresto Momentum!"_

"Lavender that was bloody _brilliant,"_ A ginger enthused as Morgana stopped in the air. However, the girl blushed at the boy's compliment, and oozing concentration of the spell she was casting, Morgana hovered for a moment, before dropping hard onto the stone flagons below and lay unmoving.

" _Morgana!"_ Gwen cried, and she abandoned her position of helping the children and rushed forward to her fallen former mistress. Her brother followed her, unsheathing his sword, ready to act in defence of his sister and the children at a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, Umbridge had taken advantage of her main opponent's distraction, and turned, jabbing her stubby stick at all of the suits of armour in the halls.

"Oh no," She snarled, "This simply will _not do._ " She grinned triumphantly, and a nasty feeling in the bottom of Arthur's stomach made itself known. "You will answer to _me._ And what I command is _get rid of the vermin."_

The whole hall froze. Suddenly, Arthur could see the patterns the dust made as it swirled through the air leisurely, the small puffs of air from the frightened children every time they exhaled, and when a skittish blue and bronze boy knocked a spoon off the table in an effort to dodge a remnant of a spell, the spoon almost seemed to hover as it floated gently to the ground.

Time had slowed down.

"Surely they won't answer her?" A pitiful voice asked. "Hogwarts is stronger –"

"Myrnin – Merlin argh who cares anymore –" The bushy haired girl with sausages in her hair threw up her hands in annoyance, "He said that the Rooms of Requirement were _his_ chambers, which suggests that he ordered them to be built (perfectly possible) which thus suggests that –"

Her voice was of one who was used to lecturing others and enjoyed it and it rather reminded Arthur of Uther's councilmen. _Dull._ Arthur zoned out, his attention instead being captured by his beauty wife.

"Morgana, Morgana _please!"_

Guinevere's petrifying cries echoed across the hall, her beautiful face crewed up in worry, silent tears trickling down her face. She shook the Witch again, her actions becoming more desperate.

"'Gana please _we need you._ I can't –we can't – not you. We can't lose you too. _We can't."_

"Cut to the chase Granger." The pale haired boy with the pointy face – the one that wore emerald and silver – cut across the still droning girl. " _Merlin_ helped the Founders to create the Castle and a person's Magic is connected to their soul –"

Storm clouds met honey, and a silent agreement was passed between them.

"Dumbledore's Army," The girl cried out uncertainly, her cheeks pinched with fear, "Raise your wands."

The Hall hesitated, and many students seemed to glance to a black haired boy sitting next to her. He nodded decisively.

"Do it."

Collectively, a group of around sixty students all made of the various houses all immediately whipped out their "wands", determination set in their faces. Those who didn't made a questioning face at the various Professors who were dotted around the room, then they too, drew their wands.

"Why – I do not – _someone tell me what is going on!"_

"Arthur," Freya whispered her face pale and strained. "Arthur the _statues."_

And then time seemed to speed back up.

Arthur swore loudly and then he reached up and over to his back, grasping at the shield which usually hung there - but there was nothing. He was in his court clothes. He looked around wildly, and then spied a silver platter which bore a selection of grapes.

"Men _to arms!_ And _you,"_ he ordered, grabbing the latter and striding forward to shove it into the back haired man's face, "Make this into a shield."

The man's lips drew up into a sneer, but Arthur remained unaffected and stared him down. The Professor whispered a phrase underneath his breath, and the King watched as the platter morphed into a round shield. Not the type that he favoured, but at least there was now a strap for him to grasp with his hand. Seeing this, his other men followed quickly followed suit. The suits of armour and the decorative stone statues marched ever closer. Arthur unsheathed Excalibur, the legendary sword whining as it was finally free once more. He twirled his sword in his hand and stepped forward in the ready stance as the stone statues which had decorated the corners of the hall and the various adorned suits of armour scattered around the edges advanced towards the students.

Umbridge was cackling wildly, her arms and head thrown back in ecstasy as her eyes glowed molten gold, gold flowing from her into the masonry she was now controlling, having overridden the Professor's attempt at protection. Her body shook slightly, literally quaking with power.

" _YES!"_ She screamed, her skin seemingly pulsating, her veins not blue or red, but pure gold, Merlin's life force coursing through her veins. "I see it, I see it _all. Everything!_ All that is impure with the world; all that is _right_. _I see it."_ She raised her hands, the limbs silhouetted by the light she emitted. "The half-bloods, the mudbloods, the creatures. The past, the present, the future. And now, it is _mine,_ to guard and to protect and to _destroy!"_

The small army controlled by the mad witch approached. He smiled as he sensed his Queen coming up to stand beside him, wielding a sword and shield with ease.

"My sister?"

"Still out cold. I shoved her under a table nearby; she's _not_ going to be happy when she recovers from that concession of hers."

Arthur chuckled quietly.

"If we live through this that _will_ be a temper tantrum worth seeing."

"If we live through this," She murmured. His other side felt empty bare, the presence which he always took for granted never to appear again. Beside him, his Queen shifted and Arthur knew that she felt his absence too. Yet still, she stood unwavering, fearless, as battle ready as he was.

His battle queen fighting for him.

 _For Merlin._

"She is _mine_."

"There was never any question," Elyan stated, appearing on Arthur's right hand side. Arthur nodded his thanks, before returning to his wife, his beautiful queen.

"Until the end?"

"With all my heart."

Arthur kissed her then, sweetly soundly, as if it was the last time he ever would.

"Today, if we die in battle, it shall be with pride and honour as we reunite with our lost brother. For we do this in the name of Merlin Emrys, the greatest of all. For Merlin!"

" _FOR MERLIN!"_ His family cried.

And as his family charged forwards, and the Professors shot spells and the students created magic, Arthur instead went the other way, to the centre of the room. Excalibur hummed in his grip, as if it knew the fight that was approaching, the debt that had to be repaid.

Umbridge smiled at him, all malice and evil and madness and power. _Magic._

 _For Merlin._

And then the Once and Future King stepped forward and finally, the warrior of legend went into battle.

* * *

"A muggle? They sent a _muggle_ to face me?"

Umbridge smiled at him, seemingly bemused.

The world seemed to fade into the background as he faced the vile person that stood away from him. The pink of her outfit contrasted horribly with the gold, and her pudgy face was pale, with a barely perceptible vale of gold covering it. But it was her _eyes_ that were the worst. For when the King of Camelot stared into them, his Manservant stared back. For the gold that had erased the irises completely, which enabled them to glow with power was _Merlin's_ power.

Thud _._

 _Merlin's_ magic.

Thud.

"Your Highness!" Gaius called out, but the rest of his warning was lost over the din of the battle, over the thudding of the King's heart.

 _Merlin's soul._

With that thought, Arthur didn't waste any time. He lunged forward, intending to impale the vile woman in front of him in the heart, to rid the world of such evil. But then she moved fast, _impossibly fast_ (the speed that Merlin had displayed once or twice when in battle situations but Arthur had always ignored, always forgot) and twisted, dodging his attack, still laughing as he did so. And then she pointed at him and spoke:

" _Avada Kedava."_

The words sent chills down Arthur's spin, and he was already spinning away from the red light that flew from her fingertips. It flew past his ear and instinct made him roll to the side - avoiding another spell – and twisted, his sword already up in the air to find in shock that two stone statues shattered on the ground where the spells had been aimed at moments before. He realised rather belatedly that they must have been the thuds that he had heard earlier, not the beating of his heart, which would have been what Gaius would have been warning him about. To his right Umbridge snarled.

" _Lagann!"_

This time a sickly yellow spell came flashing his way. In his distraction, Arthur wasn't able to move completely out of the way and it hit him on his right arm, instead of his chest where it would have hit originally.

Pain, unimaginable pain flared up on his right side, and Arthur looked down, to find that where his arm had been earlier, now there was only flesh with flecks of white and blood. A _lot_ of blood.

"A breaking drill hex," Umbridge smirked in satisfaction. She winced, bringing her hand to touch her head lightly, before walking closer to within striking distance, her arms held loosely at his side. "Pity, it was supposed to hit your muggle he-"

Using the opportunity she had given him, Arthur twirled his sword, nimbly switching hands despite his stronger limb stepped forward and swirled, letting his left arm relax. It flew through the air gaining speed from momentum and Excalibur whined in glee as he managed to slice at her unprotected stomach.

"My _name_ is Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, and Ygraine de Bois."

He pressed forward his advantage and Excalibur flashed as he moved once more, and this time, it was her stick – wand whatever – which was ravaged by him, and Umbridge watched in horror as it floated to the floor, perfectly cut in two.

"Half brother to Morgana Le Faye, Lover to Guinevere."

In her shock, Umbridge did not make any move to defend herself as he stepped in under her guard and held her close as he gutted her, his sword angled so that he also speared her heart. Her girth so large that Excalibur did not protrude from the other side. Blood spurted onto his clothes, the floor, the table, but luckily his crimson cloak had swirled around them both, concealing them from the children's eyes.

"I am the Ruler of Camelot, the Once and Future King. And this is for _Merlin."_

She gurgled underneath him until she sagged, sliding further down the sword, lifeless. Arthur held her there for a moment, to be sure, for although he had punctured her heart, which would stop any creature, he had to be _sure._ But then her lips twitched upwards, and at the same time the hilt of Excalibur, slick with blood, began to heat up. Once red from life-blood, now it was red from heat. So hot that Arthur's hands began to blister –

Umbridge laughed as the King dropped his weapon and she fell to the floor. Excalibur, still impaling her, burned white where her blood touched the metal. Blood coated her lips, and yet still they were upturned, the face of a demon as she struggled to her feet and drew the sword out of her body.

"You honestly thought that breaking my wand and impaling me like a hog for the roast would _stop me?_ I have the power of your _precious Merlin_ boy, whilst you are nothing more than a filthy little muggle."

She didn't bother to stop the bleeding: there was no need. Already, Arthur could see the hole in her sealing up, her body rejuvenating itself with lightening speed, the light around her stronger now. Still she winced, as she held up Excalibur with a trembling hand from the pain whilst the other was once again pressed into her forehead.

There was a clattering of hooves, and Arthur took the momentary relief of the battle to glance in the direction of the sound. To find his half sister riding bare back on a half man, half horse racing directly towards him, cantering between the blue and the green table, parallel to the King.

"What _in Camelot's name_ do you think you are _doing_ Morgana?" He bellowed, distracted by the antics of his sister.

She didn't answer him, instead nodding after the centaur had turned his head slightly to speak to her, causing her to entwine her hands tightly into his hair. The man's lips pulled back into a feral growl as he raced faster and faster, and his powerful muscles bunched and clenched – and then with a roar he jumped _over_ the table, the clattering of hooves upon stone sounding like thunder as they scrambled for purchase, eventually screeching to a stop in front of an overturned table, where the fifth year Hufflepuffs were huddled behind, still guarding Merlin's body as they had been ordered to in what seemed decades earlier.

A movement caught his eye and he turned, readying himself as Umbridge stood to face him once more, the injuries that he had dealt her now non-existent. He crushed the growing sense of resignation, for he is weary of this battle, and Umbridge seems to be a foe that he cannot win – she is immortal for Camelot's sake – but he must fight on _._ He prepared to face her once more.

 _For Merlin._

"I'm sorry Arthur."

He heard Morgana's voice right next to his ear, and her voice sounded remorseful. And then the centaur grabbed him into a tight embrace, preventing him from moving his arms. He screamed as his mangled arm was wrenched –

" _I'm so sorry,"_ his sister said again, breathing tearfully into his ear.

 _That_ was when Umbridge struck, dealing a final blow. And all of the weapons which her minions had been using flew towards her, except now they were made out of a swirling mass of fire and earth and air and water and _magic_ to form a weapon that Arthur _could not stop._

It hurtled towards them, the Once and Future King defenceless.

The centaur lowered himself, and the sense of dread within Arthur grew because _–_

" _NO!"_ Arthur screamed.

– The centaur crouched, before springing away with a powerful bound, directly over the table where the yellow and black students were hiding, except the hooves caught and the table and it flew back and the children were exposed – he could feel small, nimble fingers roving across his chest, and then the centaurs arms loosened, dropping Arthur, but now he felt strangely light as – _his sister had undone his armour and taken his shield and Excalibur –_

He smashed into the stone floor, and lay there, winded, pain exploding through his body. He screamed again, his mangled limb taking his weight.

" _ARTHUR!"_ He heard his wife scream.

"Guinevere -" he whispered hoarsely.

The swirling mass of the elements hurtled towards the Once and Future King, and the Hufflepuff Students lying in front of him, who he now saw were injured too, blood pooling around them. With nothing else to do, they simply opened their mouths and screamed one single, unanimous name on all of their lips.

"- _Merlin!"_

And suddenly, there is a roar, so loud that Arthur instinctively attempted to cover his ears, even though one arm was beyond saving, beyond _moving._ The tips of his fingers were wet and then he could feel liquid dripping from his ears down his neck, _crimson_ liquid. The world grew darker as Umbridge's attack came closer, an impossible darkness forming in front of him. Abruptly, the King's ears pops and now that roar is not a wave of sound, but rather a voice full of pain and love and loss and _rage_ a rage so powerful that it _burned –_

" _No."_ A voice snarled.

Then the darkness enveloped the light, consuming it, before exploding outward, turning into light so bright everybody was momentarily blinded, but then they weren't and –

"They are _mine."_ The God snarled from where he stood in front of the broken Hufflepuffs and the broken King. "And you will _not_ touch them."

" _Merlin,"_ Arthur sobs brokenly. His best friend turned around, and their eyes lock together. Slowly, _painfully,_ Arthur begins to drag himself to his feet, never letting his gaze wander, or drop from the God before him.

Umbridge had fallen silent and Arthur had forgotten that the monster was even _there_ , due to being too wrapped up with his Best Friend. But she was silent no more and as Merlin stepped both closer and to the right, as if to let his Monarch have a better look at her, she opened her mouth to scream, the sound unearthly, unnatural. She opened her eyes and the pupils had disappeared, now only molten gold remaining. The gold, which had surrounded her like a mist and had gotten thicker over time, had now finally been completely absorbed into her skin. It began to bubble as words which she made people write, made _Merlin_ were etched onto her skin.

It was horrific. And yet Arthur couldn't bring himself to _care_ and it was with ease that he tore his gaze aware from her to return to Merlin, who was still staring at him, his lips carrying a hint of a smile.

"Sorry I'm late." His friend smiles at him, and Arthur's heart was lighter at the mere sight of it, for even his bones knew that were that smile was, light and happiness soon followed. "It was hard to adjust to being mortal – I was dead for a while, I think."

Arthur repeated his words from earlier: " _You are mortal."_

The unspoken message is clear: _so am I._

Lazily, Merlin twists his left hand in the air, collecting a ball of Magic as he strides forward. He lightly touches Arthur's right arm, and instead of feeling pain, the King felt a soothing coolness again, and he watched with undisguised awe as his limb _regrew itself_ in front of him.

" _H-How?"_ Umbridge gasped. There was blood flowing from every orifice on her face, and yet it was not crimson, instead gold, that sickening _gold._ "You – were _dead."_

"So were you. Strange what immortality does isn't it?"

Tears ran down her mangled face.

"Make – it – _STOP!"_

" _Beg."_

Merlin's gaze held something wicked as he challenged the pink monstrosity in front of him, and ordinarily Arthur would have been shocked, revolted by the cruelness that radiated off his oldest friend. But he recognised that what stood wavering in front of him was human no more, instead replaced by a monster who gleefully harmed children, harmed _Merlin,_ and that she was no more his jurisdiction. She was _his._

Thus, as Umbridge trembling, knelt on the floor, blood spewing from her mouth as her skin writhed and danced in a never ending pattern of spiteful words and sentences and phrases, Arthur could only smile at the reckoning she faced. Dimly, he sensed that the battles around him had stopped as well, and a moment later it was confirmed by a dark slender hand that bore the calluses of a servant slipped into his own.

"Morality is so fragile, isn't it?" Merlin mused. "It passes in the blink of an eye. It's over before it has begun really. You were like a petulant child to me, Delores, a child who was spoilt, and selfish, and cruel to others."

Umbridge was grovelling before the feet of the Once and Future King and his Manservant, begging for the pain, to be granted the luxury of death. But when she heard the God whom she had tortured speak, that undying hatred which had consumed her flared up and she spoke, her voice practically gone from all of her screaming.

"You were playing me. I was – I was your _toy."_

But then -

"I warned you, Delores," Merlin says sadly, with pity. "I warned you but you did not heed my advice. You wanted my life, and I gave it to you _willingly,_ but I am not the Lord _of_ Magic, I _am_ Magic. Magic incarnate. And thus Magic _is_ my life, and you took it. I did not live an eternal life never to die. I was _immortal._ And so that meant that no matter how many times I died, in whichever way, I would always reawaken with the same wounds. And by the Goddess it _hurt._ It hurt _so much._ Every time you die, every time you come back... I would never wish immortality upon _anybody,_ but you willingly took it and thus I wouldn't disrespect your wishes."

"This is your punishment."

It is clear that Umbridge now hates him (for although she hated him before it is _nothing_ to what she feels now), and how she wishes that she didn't know what she was in for. Beside Arthur, Merlin clenched his fists, and two scars turned white, to show the only scars inflicted by the monster that he wished to keep – for all others had disappeared when he had returned, Arthur noted absentmindedly - reminding him of the cursed life he had led, and the most important things he had learnt.

"No," She clenches her teeth through the pain, and Arthur can tell that Merlin is reluctantly amazed that she hasn't died again. "You're lying. You cursed me. This is against the oath!"

Merlin smiled cruelly.

"If there is one lesson that you taught me through your detentions Dolores Jane Umbridge, it is this -"

" _I must not withhold secrets. And I will_ not _tell lies."_

* * *

 _ **The End.**_

 **This chapter was dedicated to those who have waited for this chapter with much anticipation. I am sorry to have disappointed you.**

 **Feel free to review or PM your thoughts or criticisms. Its fine, I can take it. I completely understand if you have no clue what's going on, or if you need clarification. Although I promised this to be a four chapter story that has already gone out of the window, and with this I am over 5500 words as it is. It is likely that any "plot holes", extras (the Patronus, the Hufflepuffs, perhaps even what was happening in this scene that Arthur did not see and most certainly another (coherent) explanation I shall put up at some point, but listed as a separate story. Maybe.)**


	8. Epilogue One AKA The Court of Camelot

**Hello! I know and understand that many of you have been waiting on this for a while (since July can you believe it?! I certainly can't). I have been working on this chapter for ages, and recently I had several more ideas which caused me to add more scenes in and change it slightly. The result is that this Epilogue is now around 10,000 words and STILL counting cos I haven't finished it yet. Thus, to put you out of your misery, I've decided to split up the Epilogue into however many parts it will take.**

* * *

The Justice of the Druid

Epilogue One AKA The Court of Camelot

 **Arthur's POV**

Time passed quickly. It seemed like only a short stretch of time had passed since Merlin had dammed Umbridge, but the King knew that reality was never kind, and that it was more likely to have been hours. Hours they had spent not reuniting or rejoicing, but helping, cleaning, healing. Containing.

There had been a quick discussion on where to put Umbridge whilst the clean up and the healing was going on – the Camelot faction unanimously decided that they would be the ones charged with her keep (which would _not_ be in the Great Hall with the children, not after what she had done. Not now, not _ever)_ due to having the immortal life that Merlin was cursed with. In the end, it was decided that she would be shifted to Avalon and kept watched upon by Knights Bedievere and Galahad – also of the infamous Round Table – to ensure that she did not escape. It was without ceremony transporting her to the Other Land – they simply shoved her through the portal which Freya was still guarding (where she managed to trip on thin air apparently). If there were additional instructions given to them by Gwaine and Lancelot, Arthur did not overhear them, due to deliberately engulfing himself in his wife's embrace for a few precious seconds of peace and love.

And then the moment of stillness was over and they entered into action once again. This time though, Gaius was in charge, ordering the King around like he was a child once more, Guinevere trailing behind as they tended to the wounded. There were many wounds. Far too many.

"There are too many injuries, Arthur," Gwaine spoke quietly as he cleaned his hands with a rag a student had conjured up for him. It had originally been white, but now stained irreversibly red with blood. "They're –" his voice broke. "They're _children."_

"I know," He replied.

So many wounds, that it made Arthur wonder how many had been gained during the battle... and how many had been gained during the regime beforehand. But he couldn't voice his concerns. Not yet. If he was wrong...

At one point, Arthur was left alone completely as his wife and Physician attended to a small group of silver and emerald clad students, leaving Arthur dealing with a tiny crimson and gold boy.

"Hello," He said majestically as he crouched down to talk to him. "My name is Arthur Pendragon."

The boy stared up at him with an open mouth, his eyes glazed over slightly.

"Are you in aid of healing?" Arthur asked in concern when he didn't answer him after another minute of staring. Feeling slightly disconcerted due to the boy still not blinking, he slowly reached a hand down to the boy's head, with the aim to check his temperature.

"I can't believe _the_ Arthur Pendragon is looking after me!" The boy cried as soon as Arthur touched his forehead. "Colin's going to be _so_ jealous. Can I – Can I have a photo please?"

He gazed up beseechingly. And then fainted.

Obviously, Arthur didn't panic. He was a King – and King's _never ever_ panic -

"Uh Merlin, the boy has just lost consciousness. I think he has a head injury – something about photos? _Merlin_!"

Ignoring that his voice had risen in pitch as the boy still refused to respond, Arthur looked up annoyed, expecting to see his Manservant in the old position as Apprentice to the Court Physician, that he would be next to Gaius except – except he wasn't there. And immediately panic set in because _what if he wasn't healed, what if he wasn't mortal – his Merlin his LIFE –_ and he stood up, the boy accidently hitting the stone flagons most likely too hard for a boy in his condition but Arthur didn't care as _Merlin -_

He spun in a circle, frantically trying to see him, to flag down Guinevere, Gaius or even _Morgana_ heaven forbid he was that desperate.

" _Mer_ lin, _Merlin –"_ He gasped as he spun round. He registered his wife staring at him in concern, and Lancelot making his way over and he wanted to _scream_ because _Merlin was in trouble couldn't they SEE that_ but he couldn't draw enough air into his lungs and everything was going dark and he s _till hadn't found Merlin -_

"Arthur. ARTHUR! _Breath._ He's alive, he's safe. _Merlin is safe."_ His vision cleared to find Gaius standing in front of him, wrinkled hands pressing firmly on his shoulders. "He's just behind me, see?"

Arthur looked, properly _looked_ , to see his best friend chatting quietly to some yellow and black first years with ease whilst also mending a nasty gnash on one boy's shoulder with magic, his eyes glowing all the time. He was so absorbed; he hadn't noticed his King's small panic attack. A small part of Arthur resented that. Determined not to let that part win, he concentrated back on Gaius, deliberately not meeting the Physician's gaze.

"I thought – he wasn't standing with you like an Apprentice should, and I thought –" Arthur stammered, uncaring that his regal air had disappeared. Gaius was like a father to him, and he was desperate to make him understand. Shakily, he met the other elderly man's stare, to find a pool of understanding and sadness shimmering in the light blue.

"It's so easy to fall back into our old pattern isn't it?" Gauis murmured, Arthur starting before nodding in response as he returned to staring at his best friend. "And it's even easier to forget that whilst we've been in Avalon, Merlin has been walking the earth for over a millennium. Our roles have reversed now: He is the teacher and I the taught."

"Gaius," Arthur asked hesitantly. Do you think... does he even _want_ to come back with us?"

"Don't be silly Sire –"

"I'm being serious. You said it yourself, we left him _alone_ for over a _millennia!_ We made no contact with him, _nothing!_ And now we come back and expect him to return to us when he's made his own family?"

"Arthur," Gaius said firmly. "You go beyond friendship and brothers. You and Merlin are _soul mates,_ two sides of the same coin. You are his destiny, and he is your guider. And you forget," He muttered, the old man's tone going darker. "That this _family_ that he created in our absence. This family _knew_ what he was doing for them, and did _nothing."_

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there are two boys who have been hit by one of Morgana's wayward spells and have suffered from severe burns. The School Nurse can't fix them but Gaius –"

"Of course, Sir Leon, lead the way." The Physician said immediately, already following the knight back to his two charges. Ahead of him Lancelot, seeing that his King had recovered from his crisis, had already turned away and gone back to help the masses. Gaius half turned, and said over his shoulder to the King, "Do not worry about Merlin now, sire. When all is said and done, rest assured we _shall_ deal with them all."

The King nodded, his gaze once more drawn to the Warlock.

"Do not worry Gaius. They shall answer for their crimes."

* * *

After another half hour of healing – it turns out the boy Arthur had been tending to had been so excited he had fainted and was in reality, fine – all of the students were declared healthy. The Camelot contingent gathered in the middle of the hall, ignoring the whispers and stares from those they had just tended to. They were all used to them anyway. His men were surrounding Merlin, and their laughter floated through the air as their bantered reignited after over a millennia apart. The only ones who weren't taking part were the Royals: Guinevere was busy speaking to his sister, the role of Handmaiden still coming easily to her after all this time and Arthur was keeping his distance, arms crossed, frowning as he watched and listened to the proceedings.

More specifically, listening to the Professors behind him.

The dour man clad in black was busy whispering to the tall witch in emerald, seemingly agitated. His low velvety voice rose and fell, but it was not so loud that Arthur could make out the whole conversation, only snatches.

"- I sent a Patronus unnoticed early on in the melee notifying him –"

"But it's still too dangerous for him to return! The Ministry has sent out an arrest warrant for him –"

"- But he will regain favour with the neutral families if he returns to protect the students from this farce. –"

His anger rose as he eavesdropped. They dare spoke and considered _politics_ after all that had happened? After what that monster had done to the students? To _Merlin?_

"They are outnumbered by the elitist purebloods from _your_ House –"

"You forget the support of the Hufflepuff House," A new voice joined in the conversation. It was a female, an old one at that, who did not have the burr that the other witch had. "The House follows the leadership of Gabriel Truman and Myrnin... _Merlin_ alone could turn the tide of any war –"

Arthur snapped and he turned around, an expression of thunder adorning his face.

"Merlin will _not_ be involved with any war and he will _not_ be used again by you!"

The two witches fell silent, but the dour man glared at the King resolutely.

"The Warlock can make up his own mind. He knows us, and he will do what is right."

"The "Warlock" is _my_ subject and he shall do what his _King_ orders him to do, not what some puny, _pathetic_ Teachers wish him to do in order to further their own political agenda." Arthur's lips curled upwards into a sneer that impressively matched the other man's as he stared him down.

"The Warlock is a King in his own right, the King of the Druids. It must be _so_ easy to forget that considering you oppressed his people, and all of those with magic." The sarcasm that dripped off his tongue was delectable, but the words hit their mark, perfect and true and Arthur's unfathomable temper began to boil.

"It was my _father_ that persecuted the Druids. _I_ set them free. And whilst _Merlin_ is a King in his own Court, he is my Manservant in mine, and _I_ outrank him, as I outrank all of _you Sorcerers."_ In the back of his mind, he registered that the Hall had gone silent, and that all eyes were turned to him, but he didn't care. Guinevere had detached herself from her former mistress, and was making her way sedately across the floor, the students automatically parting for her.

"Your words contradict themselves, _Sorcerer,_ and you judge me by different rules unto which you judge yourselves. You mock me, and my Court."

The man sneered. "So _typical_ : a muggle who physically enslaves the greatest man to ever walk this earth and claims to dictate him mentally."

Arthur snarled, uncaring of etiquette and he leant forward and grabbed the man by the corner, hauling him across the table, spilling food and drinks alike. Spells began to fly once more, but none found their mark, instead hitting the stone wall behind him in a flurry of multicoloured sparks.

"You have mocked me and mine, Sorcerer, and you have mocked my Court. You speak of the apparent slavery that I condoned, which is a _lie,_ of the political oppression that I enacted, of those I have killed. I have my reasons. What are yours, _Eater of Death?"_ The man's sallow face grew pale, but Arthur stormed on, uncaring of the gasps echoing through the great open space, and the worry that flashed on the emerald witch's face. A delicate hand rested on his arm, but it was not laid out of warning but rather, support.

"I can _smell the_ death on you. On _all_ of you," Arthur projected, turning to face the room, his gaze sweeping over every individual. "You claim that what I did was barbaric, that, and yet you let "one of your own" give his _life_ for yours? _All_ of you here, gathered in this hall, and yet not _one_ had the courage, and the _loyalty_ to stop him, and to help? Well if me and mine were what inspired all of your _values_ and standards, goals and knowledge, then I say know that I am _ashamed_ of what my legacy has become. For you are all pathetic hypocrites, and now, in my _barbaric way_ ," he continued, smiling menacingly and showing his white teeth, "I shall punish _you."_

"Arthur _STOP!"_

The shout rang out in through the hall, and Arthur swivelled to the left slightly, to find Merlin staring him down. He dropped the man, leaving him in the embarrassing position of half hanging off the end of the table he had stupidly sequisioned himself behind and turned to face his errant Manservant fully, his chest feeling looser already at the confrontation that was about to come, and the confessions that would surely follow.

"I have just made my point about outranking you and you have to go and embarrass me don't you _Merlin_."

But the Warlock didn't rise to the base, and he didn't continue the banter Arthur loved so much, nor relinquish that angry glaze to his eyes.

"Arthur Pendragon, you will stop bullying them _right now."_

"Why are you protecting them still? They stood by and watched you suffer and whither from the pain, _their_ pain!"

"They were children!"

"That doesn't excuse it! They had the power to help, and instead they squandered it and watched you _die."_

Merlin threw his hands up in the air with exasperation.

" _So have you!_ Multiple times in fact! If we're _really_ going into this, _Arthur_ , you tried to throw me in jail the first time we met, tried to kill me the second time and practically enslaved me the third! Let alone all those other occasions where I was accused of sorcery and almost burnt at the stake, or I was attacked and often mortally wounded in secret whilst saving all of _your_ sorry asses!"

There was a hushed silence at that, before the whispering broke out. Arthur frowned, and resolutely continued to ignore the worm of guilt that ate away in his mind, his anger propelling him forward.

"It was a different time, _Mer_ lin and you know it. We were both adults. But here? Here, you were in the body of a fifteen year old – what about those who were sixteen, seventeen – who are legally adults in these sorcerers' world? Who knew that you suffered and did _nothing!_ What about _them?"_

He shouted the last words, pointing Excalibur at them accusingly.

"I am as much to blame as they are."

"That may be, but they still deserved to be punished."

Arthur watched in satisfaction as Merlin seemed to deflate and his shoulders slumped.

"Please, Arthur," He whispered, keeping his head down. "Hear them out before condemning them _."_

Words lay unspoken between them, but each Camelotian heard them, and recoiled from the blow they dealt.

 _Hear them out before condemning them – like you condemned me._

 _Trust me._

And Arthur did, still. Will _always_ do. He will always trust his Merlin.

"Fine." He ordered, sheathing his sword. He swivelled on his feet, and bowed low, before offering his arm to his Queen. If it wasn't for Guinevere, he would have stomped towards the raised dais. Instead, he strode there, his Love gliding effortlessly beside him, her beauty hiding her anger well. His contingent fell into step behind him.

Morgana waited at the top, her emerald eyes gleaming in satisfaction as she beheld what had just occurred.

"And _you,"_ He snarled, pointing his finger at his sister, "I shall deal with _you_ after _them._ I have _not_ forgotten that you ignored Merlin's last wishes and sacrificed me to that monster."

A flash of... _something_ flickered in her eyes at her brother's words, but it was gone in an instant. Morgana smirked. "It's rude to point, Arthur."

He snarled in response. Behind him, he could almost _feel_ Merlin's smirk.

* * *

After bequeathing the regal, throne like chair to Guinevere, and Morgana conjuring up two more elaborately decorated chairs for the siblings to sit on. Hers of course, was more ornately carved, but for once, Arthur didn't mind the impudence, and a flicker of gratitude caused him to gaze at his sister in thanks as he finally sat down on his simple yet imperial throne, where it's apparent plainness belayed the power he wielded. He arranged his limbs so that he lounged across the throne, rather like a child. Next to him, he could sense Morgana's wicked amusement as she swivelled in the throne, resting her head against the arm rest and her feet dangling over the side, looking devilishly dangerous.

"Approach." He ordered.

The group of students clad in black and yellow who Arthur recognised as being the closest confidents of Merlin gazed at each other in caution, before making their way towards the front of the Hall, coming to a stop in front of the dais.

"Speak."

Again; another glance full of emotion passed between them as an unspoken conversation took place.

" _Arthur,"_ Merlin said in anger, striding forwards to stand protectively in front of them. " _Stop it."_

"I don't know what you mean, _Mer_ lin."

Merlin's eyes flared gold in anger, and the King made mental note that the Warlock's magic was still close to the service, his control slipping. Morgana shifted in her throne next to him, and he wondered whether it was in fear or in readiness of the power that might emerge.

"You know full well. You will treat these people with _respect_ and you _will_ hear them out. Stop intimidating them and besmirching Camelot. Treat her with love and respect and trial them according to Camelot's customs.

"I thought that this _relaxed_ atmosphere would put all more at ease."

Merlin glared at him. Arthur glared straight back. But slowly, ever so slowly, the King's lips curled upwards in a cruel smile.

"Very well, if it would please you _Mer_ lin."

He stood back up, his cloak flowing regally behind him. Morgana and Guinevere followed suit, and after a few whispered words from Morgana, all three were adorned in new outfits. Guinevere was beautiful in her Coronation dress, the pale lemon and lilac gown and it softened her and made her seem kind, and gentle. Morgana meanwhile had donned her favourite scarlet red dress, the one that made her seem alluring and dangerous with the gold embroidery stitched down the front, her lips painted into a delicious smirk, whist Arthur's white shirt seemed to glow brighter, the red doublet contrasting greatly and the leather coat over that emphasising his incredible physique. Each had their, respective crowns (and in Morgana's case, a diadem) resplendent on their heads, newly polished so that they seemed to glow brighter.

Looking down upon the masses gathered, Arthur noticed that his Knights too, had had a costume change and were now imposing in their scarlet cloaks and newly polished armour; in fact all of those from Camelot had, now adorned in their old clothes. In the spat that Merlin and Arthur had had, they had moved, and were now fanned out on either side of the Royals, standing astride with their heads held high.

Meanwhile, Merlin scowled up and hissed " _Morgana,"_ in warning. As per usual, Arthur's erstwhile sister ignored him, instead staring imperiously into the crowd, making all who caught her eyes wilt in fear.

At least one person was having fun.

"I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, call this Court to pass judgement on behalf of one of our own. May our Laws of Camelot be upheld with honour."

Leon led the chant then, the Knights following his lead vigorously. "With honour! _With honour!_ "

The children jumped, whilst Merlin looked simply resigned at all of the (perhaps admittedly undue) dramatics the Camelotians were partaking in.

"You may be seated."

Immediately, the children sat down, some practically falling over themselves in order to abide by his instructions. For a moment, Arthur felt a strong sense of guilt at terrifying them, before it passed, replaced by anger. They _deserved_ it for what they had done – whether they had known or not. Whilst Guinevere and Morgana sat down, the others in his Court remained standing however, Freya smiling slightly at the display. Merlin was now off to the side, subconsciously assuming the position of Manservant, permanently half hidden within the shadows.

"According to the Laws of Camelot, this Court has been called to pass judgement on the accused. Their crime was to (knowingly) allow torture and murder of one Merlin Ambrosia, Son of Hunith of Ealdor and Balinor, Dragonlord and Dragonkin, Nephew and Apprentice of Gaius, Court Physician, Lover of Freya, Basest Lady of the Lake and Guardian of Avalon, the Most Powerful Warlock to Ever Live named Emrys and Soul mate of Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King. Although we are a fair and just people, the crime the accused committed, whether intentional or unintentional, knowingly or unknowingly, was condoned by all. Moreover, it was against one who has served Camelot loyally for over the millennia. Thus, their sentence shall not be lenient."

There was an outraged aura emitting from Merlin, but he remained silent at the truth of it. He had requested for Arthur to conduct the trial according to the Laws of Camelot, and now he was reaping what he had sown. The Professors did not see this however, and the elderly woman swathed in emerald green strode forward in protest.

"We acknowledge that you are angry, Arthur, and that we failed our charge Myr - _Merlin_ but you must understand –"

But Guinevere it seemed had finally had enough. She pushed herself up angrily out of the throne and stepped down till she was on the same floor level as the witch, yet her posture and aura she was emitting made her seem so much _grander._

"No, it is _you_ that do not understand Professor McGonagall. Do _not_ patronise us: you may be a woman of great age, and one that can wield Magic, and although we might not have magic, that does not make us _inferior._ I have more power in my finger than you have in your entire body."

"Gwen –" Merlin stepped in then, turning to face the dais. "You're speaking in the Old Tongue – she has no idea what you are saying."

His Beautiful Queen smirked. "I know."

Merlin sighed in frustration, and ran his hands through his hair. "I am _not_ going to translate for you! I know you know the current language – I know you _all_ do, so please act like the supposedly mature adults that you are and _treat them with respect."_

"Respect," She mused.

Guinevere surveyed Merlin with cool, detached interest, before she slowly, predatorily, tilted her head in acquiescence. Fluidly, she switched tongues, and although the new language sounded guttural and weak to Arthur's ears, his Love made the words sweet as honey, and as smooth as silk.

"You show me great disrespect, Madame McGonagall, and thus you dishonour Camelot. If you wish to finally be competent at your occupation and protect your charges, it will be greatly beneficial for your cause to treat me as my position demands it."

The Witch's eyes flickered towards Merlin, who simply bowed his head at the irate queen, before stepping back to the side. Understanding filled her eyes and she sank into a curtsey. Behind, the students muttered angrily – the loudest those clad in Camelot colours though they were _not_ of Arthur's Court and kin – but intelligently, none intervened or made their displeasure at the occurrences too loud.

"I am going to be gracious enough and kind enough, to assume that you did not mean to patronise us, Madame McGonagall. You maybe a woman of great age, and one of that which you might see as blessed to be able to wield Magic, extremely proficiently at that, judging from your position of eminence within this foundation, but do _not_ mistakenly assume that we are thus inferior to you. We are not. Yes, we do not have magic, and yes, I suppose we seem young to you. We have faced down many of you kind, those who are infinitely more powerful than you and _we bested them._ Without Merlin's help. And we can easily do so again. I may be young, and I may have no magic, but I have more powerthan you will _ever_ know and be able to comprehend."

The dour Professor sneered at the words, but wisely made no comment. Impatiently, Guinevere jerked her hand up to signal that the curtsey could be completed, but she held her hand out, in a telling motion that she was not yet finished in her admonishing,

"Before I was Queen, I was a servant to the Royal Household as Morgana's Handmaiden." There were shocked whispers at that, but it was becoming easier and easier to ignore them. "Every day, I worked, sometimes scrubbing so hard that my hands went raw, and so tired that I almost fainted from exhaustion, only the terror of Uther finding me enough to halt the tide of sleep. And yet, I am thankful for those days, as they taught me humility, and strength, compassion and endurance. I have found that often Magic makes you lazy: I would advise you to _not_ learn the hard way what the lack of it does to those cheerfully without."

There was silence. Guinevere let it continue long enough so that it bordered on uncomfortable before she spoke again.

"I recognise this castle, you know."

"What?" Arthur spoke in surprise, the outburst disrupting the intimidating kingly persona he had been maintaining so well up until then. He had been fully content letting his wife usurp the proceedings for her own amusement and anger, but what she had just uttered confused him. Guinevere turned, and gave him a soft smile rolling her eyes slightly. But the sentiment was echoed around his Court, and thus the King felt no embarrassment.

"I'm not surprised you do not remember it, Arthur. You were swathed in grief when we visited the occupants of this castle, and although we grew closer after that time, you were never around when we returned. Morgana had just revealed her true nature, and you were in shock I think."

"Oh Arthur," his sister said, an amused smile dancing on her painted lips as she leant towards him cooing. "I never knew you cared so much."

The King flushed, but did not move away as his sister caressed his cheek. He was thankful for these small moments when they occurred and his sister betrayed the full amount of compassion and love she held for him. The moments were rare as their relationship was not always easy, but slowly they had mended it, until it was stronger than before, for finally, he understood her actions. Had not agreed with them, yes, but he _understood_ them.

"I thought I recognised this Hall," Leon spoke out of turn in a musing manner. "This is where Finn resided yes? The seat of power for Gàidhealtachd?"

Guinevere shot a smile at the old Knight. "Indeed it is."

She turned back towards the Deputy Headmistress to explain. "The Fianna were close allies of ours in the wars, and in thankfulness, we solidified our close relationship with the marriage of my son Arthur and their daughter Morna, though that was sadly after the King's death. It was a love match, of course, but their lands were absorbed into ours, and remained in our possession and control. They were never bought, or given or bartered or sold. Merely inherited."

The Witch paled as she realised the significance of what Guinevere was saying, and as Arthur understood it, he began to grin as well.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Speak when you are spoken to, woman."

" _Morgana –"_ Merlin warned. But the Professor heeded his sister's words.

"I will _not_ apologise for the gifts that were bestowed on me at birth, however I will and do apologise profusely for my indelicate actions, your highness. I did not mean to offend you –"

" _Really,"_ Gwaine breathed unbelievingly. Leon shoved him in response.

"- only that the concern for my students overwhelmed me. Please, listen to our evidence and decide on your verdict, and we shall accept it gladly, if only my one request were to be granted."

"Speak, Madame, and we shall see."

"That as the one with the most authority currently here at Hogwarts, I shall be her representative. And thus, as the representative of Hogwarts, I and I alone shall be the one to bear the punishment enacted upon. Please, your highnesses, I beseech you. I do not wish for Hogwarts to end, and the students to be banished from one of our few safe havens left."

Again, Guinevere surveyed her, except that the action was different this time. Less harsh and more _Gwen._ Accepting, gentle. Kind. Gwen smiled, and she reached forward to clasp the Witch's gnarled hands within her own.

"Well met, my friend, well met." If the Witch in question was surprised at how she was addressed, she did not show it, instead accepting the gesture of friendliness, her shoulders slumping slightly in thankfulness. She became shocked however, when the queen carefully escorted her to her seat, letting the woman rest on her slightly.

It seemed that Madame McGonagall had passed the first test.

* * *

 **I reiterate: This is the FIRST part of the epilogue, which will cover all of the plot holes. If any of you have any grievances about this story and the contents and plot, make themselves known and I shall address them within the final chapters. Thank you all for your time and your reviews. Have a lush week : )**


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